Buying or Selling: 10 WVU Football Takes Ahead of Fall Camp

Some in-depth thoughts about several areas of West Virginia's roster and schedule.

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Here in just a couple of weeks, the West Virginia Mountaineers will be hitting the practice field to open up fall camp and unofficially begin the second year of Rich Rod’s second tenure in Morgantown.

There are a bunch of interesting storylines to watch throughout the month of August, and there are some things that have floated out there by either fans or the national media that I want to give my thoughts on before things get underway.

So, here you go. 10 things that I am either buying or selling about this team.

There is a quarterback battle: Selling

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This is Mike Hawkins Jr.’s job. I can say this one million times, and yet there are still some who believe that Scotty Fox still has a shot heading into camp. There is no battle. There is a reason why this coaching staff identified Hawkins as early in the process as they did, and after a very impressive spring, they knew they not only had an answer for 2026, but someone they could truly build this thing around over the next couple of years.

This is not a diss toward Scotty whatsoever. He is a talented quarterback who still has a bright future, but has to iron out the inconsistencies in his game and have more conviction in his decision-making to truly turn the corner. Rich Rod may not have publicly announced Hawkins as QB1, but it’s the worst-kept secret in Morgantown.

Both quarterbacks will start games: Selling

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Much like the point above, when you know you have your guy, you are not going to fool around with some two-QB system or rotation like we saw last year. Rich Rod knows that and has said as much. I really believe there is a segment of fans who are grossly misevaluating Hawkins’ potential and don’t truly understand what the Mountaineers have in him.

Some of that may be because they were encouraged by what they saw from Fox as a true freshman and really wanted him to be the guy, but the reality is Hawkins is much further along, and it’s his show. As long as he stays healthy, he is the guy.

The offensive line will be a strength: Buying

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When you bring in one of the nation's best offensive line coaches and add a ton of experience to that position group, it’s easy to assume that everything will be fixed by week one. That is not always the case, as it takes time for a new unit to gel and understand the new teachings that Trickett is bringing to the program.

However, no one gets their guys up to speed better than Trickett, and it also helps that he has a couple of former Jax State players in that room with him to be his unofficial personal assistants on the field. The projected starting five will enter the season with over 5,000 career snaps under its belt, and that includes a true freshman, who obviously hasn’t played a single one of those snaps. This offensive line will be dramatically improved and will be the engine that makes this thing go.

Kevin Brown starts Week 1: Buying

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Speaking of that freak athlete, true freshman offensive lineman Kevin Brown, I do believe he is on track to start week one against Coastal Carolina. I’m still unsure as to which side he will ultimately land on since he and UConn transfer Carsten Casady repped on both sides during the spring.

Regardless, I do think we will see him trot out onto the field when West Virginia’s offense heads out there for the first time. Malik Agbo did a tremendous job this off-season of putting healthy weight back on and being someone that they can trust in meaningful snaps, so I don’t want to just completely overlook what he has done with his development.

Brown is just one of those uniquely gifted 18-year-olds cut from the same cloth as Zach Frazier and Wyatt Milum. I also think that the way the schedule is set up helps him, too. Facing Coastal Carolina and UT Martin, those first two weeks give him an opportunity to play and learn before seeing a Power Four front seven, where he will be truly tested.

Jaden Bray as the No. 1 or 2 is a concern: Selling

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen folks comment on other articles or tweets saying that Jaden Bray can’t be relied on because he is "injury-prone". While he did miss a huge chunk of the last two seasons with a foot injury, I’m not sure I would go as far as saying he can’t stay healthy.

He is 100% now, and that wasn’t the case a year ago, but nobody knew it, including those who worked on him. Bray has incredible playmaking abilities, including making heavily contested catches, which is something that has been missing in this offense for quite some time, even dating back to the Neal Brown era. He will completely change the dynamic of West Virginia’s passing game, and it also helps to have another big, long body on the other side with Prince Strachan.

WVU will have zero All-Big 12 selections on defense: Selling

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No Mountaineers were selected in the preseason Big 12 all-defensive team, and while I do forecast some issues on that side of the ball, I do see a few guys who could be worthy of such an honor at season's end.

Pass rusher Harper Holloman, defensive lineman Ezekiel Durham-Campbell, nickel/sam Geimere Latimer, and safety Andrew Powdrell could all play their way into the conversation. If I had to pick one, it would be Durham–Campbell, who had an outstanding season last year with Coastal Carolina and is probably the most complete player on that side of the ball for the Mountaineers.

The linebacking unit will be a weakness: Buying

West Virginia University linebacker Ben Cutter | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

I’m not going to write this group off completely and say that they will be an eyesore to watch this fall. There are some major concerns, though, when it comes to pass coverage with this bunch, and I’m not sure I would put much stock into the coverage grades from Ben Cutter a year ago. He is capable of playing well against the pass, but I think he is more of a run stuffer than anything. The overall depth and experience in that room is very limited, so guys like Cutter and Illinois transfer Malachi Hood will have to do some heavy lifting.

The secondary will be significantly better: Selling

Chams Diagne

West Virginia's secondary should be improved in certain areas. Because they have added so much length at the cornerback spot and have multiple intriguing pieces who can play either nickel/sam or safety, it seems as if there are heightened expectations for the third level of the defense.

My concern is that they will have a bit of a rotation at the starting cornerback spot opposite of Chams Diagne, and will already have to navigate some potential communication issues early on with so many new pieces learning how to play together and coming from different places. Outside of the offensive line, having a completely new secondary is probably the most vulnerable spot where a lack of chemistry can be glaring.

WVU will be ranked for first time since 2018: Buying

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

For this to come to fruition, West Virginia is going to have to get out to a hot start, which is certainly possible with the way the first half of the season sets up for them. They will be 2-0 when they head to Charlotte for a neutral site game against Virginia, and if they snag that one, they will return home for the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State with starting people to take notice.

Oklahoma State and Iowa State both have first-year head coaches, and that doesn’t always guarantee a W in the ledger, but it does give you some sort of relief, especially knowing what West Virginia just went through a year ago. Not to mention, they will be catching them early on before they figure some things out. I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to say a 5–0 or 5-1 start is possible, and if that happens, I think you could expect the Mountaineers to have a number next to their name, or at the very least, be receiving votes to sneak in a week or two later.

WVU finishes with a winning record in the Big 12: Selling

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I’ll be honest, this was the toughest one to pick a side on. I truly think it could go either way and would be comfortable saying that 5-4 or 4-5 are probably the two most likely outcomes for WVU in Big 12 play. Because things don’t always work out as you would expect, I’m going to lean with a losing record in conference play, mainly because of that brutal stretch in November and if they don’t enter that stretch in a good spot, it’s going to be extremely difficult to come out of it with five or more wins on the year — again, that’s in league play.