Five Potential Unexpected Breakout Stars For West Virginia in 2020
It's another day closer to football and in fact, as I am writing this, there are only 187 days until West Virginia takes on Florida State in the Chick Fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta.
There is a lot of excitement over the household name guys that are returning in 2020 such as the Stills brothers, Jarrett Doege, and Sam James, along with many others that stepped up throughout the season, including the true freshman who got plenty of playing time in 2019. But, who are the guys who we have heard their names a few times but didn't get to see much of them on the field last season? These are five guys who have the potential to become breakout superstars in 2020.
LB VanDarius Cowan
Cowan could be the next Bruce Irvin. Cowan transferred from Alabama in 2018 and played in just two games for West Virginia in 2019 before having season-ending knee surgery.
His big play of the year was a key sack against Texas that forced a punt and got the crowd back into the game for the Mountaineers. On that play alone, the speed and strength he showed, along with his passion, reminded many of Irvin.
Cowan has a lot of talent and could potentially be the next superstar of this Mountaineer defense. This off-season will be important for him to recover from his injury and get back into game shape for an exciting 2020 campaign, where he should see a major jump in his snap count. Cowan could be a guy who we see play on Sundays later down the road.
WR Bryce Wheaton
After redshirting one year, Wheaton finally got some snaps in 2019 and made the most of them. He finished the 2019 season with 12 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns, with his biggest moment of the year was the touchdown he had in the win over Kansas State.
Mountaineer fans started to see the potential of Wheaton once Doege took over the starting role at quarterback. Those two have chemistry, and a trust with each other, and it could be seen immediately. Now, after spending an entire off-season with Doege, look for Wheaton to be a go-to receiver in crunch time situations.
CB Dreshun Miller
Miller was a JUCO transfer from Eastern Arizona College in 2018 and unfortunately had to sit out the 2019 season with a medical redshirt due to a season-ending knee injury, sustained in the preseason. Miller is a talented corner and performed at a high level while at the junior college level and is now expected to make an immediate impact for West Virginia in 2020. Now that Miller is healthy, look for him to bring leadership and experience to a young secondary.
CB Jackie Matthews
Matthews, a signee for the Mountaineers 2020 recruiting class comes to Morgantown after spending two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.
Matthews football IQ is off the charts and got every coach on West Virginia's staff excited. After watching some film from his junior college days, his football IQ combined with his physical prowess, Matthews has the ability to control one side of the field while Miller can possibly control the other side.
CB Nicktroy Fortune
Another defensive guy who can make a leap in 2020 is Nicktroy Fortune. He is highly respected by the coaching staff for his hard work in practice and the energy he brings during games.
Last season, he appeared in 11 games and started two, mainly seeing special teams action but was used towards the end of the season in the secondary. The Mountaineers did add Miller and Matthews who bring experience, but the secondary is still a fairly young group but has an extremely bright future. Fortune has the potential to be a lock-down corner for head coach Neal Brown in the future. Look for him to make a strong impact on this defense in 2020 and make some big plays.
Four out of the five guys on this list were defensive guys but that is because we know who will be the go-to guys on offense next season. The guys on this list are the ones who will take a large leap and contribute immediately for the Mountaineers in 2020.
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