Is WVU Football Back? A Bevy of Reasons to be Optimistic About 2024
West Virginia is fresh off a nine-win season and for the first time since Neal Brown took over, there is hope that the Mountaineers are on track to return to their winning ways...for good.
I was as hard on Neal Brown as anyone over the course of his first four years at the helm, mainly because there seemed to be little to no progress being shown on either side of the ball. I understand that they suffered massive hits from the transfer portal and they didn't have the "right guys" in the locker room, but just about any new-ish coach to a program is going to experience both of those bumps in the road.
In 2023, he wiped out many of my concerns. The run game was better than advertised and they found something with Garrett Greene operating the offense. But it's not just about the top tier talent.
For me, it was the development of players like Nicco Marchiol, who came in and virtually played the whole game against Pitt and won and then followed that up with a win over Texas Tech. It's a guy like Hudson Clement who came out of nowhere to become one of the top freshman receivers not only on the team or the conference, but the country. To be able to not panic in the regular season finale when Zach Frazier goes down and time is working against you...to be able to thrown Brandon Yates out there and have no hiccups en route to a game-winning drive is impressive.
It's also about the readiness of the trio of freshman - Jahiem White, Rodney Gallagher III, and Traylon Ray. They were ready when called upon and looked well beyond their age more often than not.
Defensively, they finished in the middle of the league in total defense and fourth in rushing defense which is quite the feat after losing two starting linebackers and your star safety, Aubrey Burks, for a few games. They are set to return eight players with legitimate starting experience and will add DL T.J. Jackson, EDGE Ty French, CB Ayden Garnes, CB TJ Crandall, and LB Reid Carrico from the portal.
The nucleus exists on both sides of the football for WVU to make a run at playing in its first-ever Big 12 Conference championship. To tip things even more into West Virginia's favor, they'll play seven home games and really eight, if you want to count Pitt. The only back-to-back road trip involves a short bus ride over to Cincinnati following the long haul out to Tucson to face Arizona. Travel, for once, is not a thorn in WVU's side.
It's not just about 2024, though. That's just the start. If the Mountaineers can find a way to reach nine or more wins again next fall, they will position themselves nicely in the league for years to come as this young bunch on the offensive side continues to grow together.
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