Did WVU’s Portal Strategy Reveal Its Plan for 78-Touchdown Freshman RB?

He may not be the highest-rated recruit in West Virginia's 2026 signing class, but running back Amari Latimer has generated a ton of hype since he flipped his commitment from Wisconsin on signing day, and when you watch his tape and look at the numbers he put up at Sandy Creek High School, it's easy to see why.

In his senior season, the 6-foot, 228-pounder rumbled for 2,409 yards and 44 touchdowns on 250 carries, giving him an average of 9.6 yards per carry. He produced 100+ yards in fourteen of his fifteen games, boasting an insane average of 160.6 yards per week. He finished his career with an astounding 4,922 yards and 78 touchdowns.

Latimer already looks the part

Running backs that are his size and run as fast as he don't grow on trees. And as he proved during his prep career, he can carry a heavy workload, which prepared him for his eventual role in Rich Rodriguez's offense.

There's a reason why he was so heavily recruited coming out of high school, also pulling in offers from the likes of Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Cal, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington, and a bunch of others.

Could he really be RB2 as a true freshman?

The short answer? Yes. The better question may be, does WVU expect him to fill that role? When you look at what they did in the transfer portal, they double-dipped at every position on the roster, even the group of specialists, except running back. Jacksonville State transfer Cam Cook was their only addition there, and he will, of course, be RB1. Martavious Boswell is the only other back on the roster with collegiate experience, albeit at the JUCO level. He seems to be the main competition for Latimer for that backup spot.

West Virginia did take a long look at a few other running back transfers, but decided to roll with what they had already acquired. It's somewhat of a risky move to not have much experience there, especially considering how last year went with all of the injuries, but to me, it's a sign that the staff is planning for Latimer to carve out a rather significant role behind Cook. If he stays healthy, WVU could have one of the better running back tandems in the Big 12.