Has WVU's Next Dynamic Duo Arrived?

West Virginia lost its top four pass catchers from the 2022 season and has restocked the room with a handful of transfers and a pair of promising true freshmen. Guys like Devin Carter, EJ Horton, Noah Massey, and Ja'Shaun Poke may have experience on their side, but the high ceilings of Rodney Gallagher III and Traylon Ray are hard to ignore.

Holding a significant role in an offense as a true freshman is never guaranteed and at times, rarely attainable. But for these two in particular, it's certainly within reach.

Gallagher, the crown jewel of WVU's 2023 recruiting class, spent much of his high school career as a quarterback. He impressed at recruiting camps as a wide receiver, showing he was worthy of his consensus four-star rating. But considering he hasn't played the position full-time, there was some thought that it could take a while for him to truly settle in and become a pivotal part of the offense in Morgantown.

Since he arrived on campus, he's done nothing but turn heads.

"I've been pleasantly surprised," head coach Neal Brown said of Gallagher. "Rodney has probably put on over 12 of 14 pounds since he's been here which is giving him an opportunity to compete. And he's blocked a lot better than I anticipated early on because he's never had too. He's been more physical and he's made a couple really contested catches over the middle. I've been pleased with those two aspects."

"I think he's a little ahead of what I thought he was going to be," receivers coach Bilal Marshall stated. "For a guy that hasn't played the position for a long time, he has really started to understand how to play the position. He has a knack for being able to get in and out of breaks. I knew he was quick. I knew he was twitchy. He catches the ball really well and surprisingly, he's been a capable blocker. For a guy that's not as big as the others, he's not afraid to put his face in it. If a linebacker or a nickel/SAM or a safety is running down his face, he's going to put his face right in there. He won't turn his head. He's a lot tougher than I thought he would be to be honest."

Playing quarterback for the better part of his time at Laurel Highlands in Uniontown, PA allowed him to have a great understanding of the game and what a quarterback is looking for when scanning the field and is a big reason as to why he's making a rather seamless transition to receiver.

He's fast, explosive, sure-handed, and can create separation early in routes. Hearing the coaching staff talk about his willingness to block on the perimeter is another indicator that the kid gets it.

As for his fellow classmate, Traylon Ray, he is consistently making plays during fall camp and actually led the team in receiving during their first scrimmage a week ago.

“From a freshman standpoint, he’s doing some good things and I think he’ll be in the mix for us," said Neal Brown. "Traylon Ray is smooth. I like him. He's going to be a player. He didn't get here 'til late because he played baseball late. But I like him. He's long. He's got really good ball skills. Natural. He's highly intelligent. His high school coach, they run a lot of the same concepts that we run, so he came in here kind of ahead of the curve. He's going to be a good player. It's not out of the question that he'll play right away."

Bilal Marshall also noted how quickly Ray has caught on stating how he "has a chance to be special" and "has a knack for finding the ball."

As a senior at North Florida Christian, Ray hauled in 70 receptions for 1,236 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also averaged 30.7 yards on kick returns and 15.1 yards on punt returns.

His recruitment ultimately came down to Mississippi State, Tennessee, and West Virginia, but he also held offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and several others.

Gallagher and Ray have more in common than just great starts to camp and a bright future. The two were multi-sport stars at their respective schools.

Gallagher was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL Male Athlete of the Year for his production in football along with what he did on the hardwood in basketball. For his career, Gallagher notched 1,500 career points and was a three-time All-State First-Teamer and was recruited hard by former WVU basketball coach Bob Huggins, along with other Power Five schools. As for Ray, he led his basketball team in scoring as a junior and then followed that up by hitting .359 in baseball.

No one truly knows how much we'll see these two on the field right out of the gate, but I think it's safe to assume that as the season moves along, both will start factoring more into the equation. Are they going to put up monster numbers in year one? Unlikely, but they could have an impact on the receiver room similar to what CJ Donaldson did in the backfield a year ago.

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