MAILBAG: Big Recruits, Defensive Departures, Turning a Corner, Another Upset + More

Good Monday morning, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

From @bobmadigan_wvu:

Q: I am not trying to diminish this win by any means, but do you see this as Houston looking past WVU? Is this performance repeatable against an opponent not looking past them?

A: I think it's a little bit of both. Situationally, it was a terrible spot for Houston, which was coming off a big road win at Arizona State; you have a two-win team coming in for an 11 a.m. local kick, and about 35 fans in attendance. That said, it's been two weeks in a row where WVU has shown promise on offense and some flashes of good defensive play. Bad spot for Houston, yes, but I'd give WVU the credit for going in and getting the job done.

From @Mountiealum97:

Q: How much are we losing on defense next year? Everyone keeps talking about offense.

A: Quite a bit. You're looking at roughly 10 starters, assuming none of them can sneak in another year due to JUCO. I'll have to comb through the roster to see who those players could be and will have an article on it during the next bye week. But yeah, it's going to be quite an overhaul. The good thing is, they'll still have guys like DL Corey McIntyre Jr., DL Nate Gabriel, DL Asani Redwood, BAN Curtis Jones Jr., LB Ashton Woods, LB Ben Cutter, LB Ben Bogle, S Zae Jennings, S Israel Boyce, and S Nick Taylor, so there will be at least a handful of guys who have been in the system and logged reps

From @Jev_Elation:

Q: Scotty and Wilkins probably both return, no reason they wouldn’t, plus the 2 freshmen coming in (I believe?). We probably look for a vet in the portal for the room. The question is, how good do you look for vs other spots now that you know you have Fox and Wilkins?

A: Great question. If Scotty Fox continues to play the way he has these past two weeks, he'll enter 2026 as the guy, so you're probably not looking for a top-tier option. Max Brown still has another year of eligibility remaining and could be the veteran that you need. If he opts to portal out, which is possible, then you're probably looking for another Max Brown/Jaylen Henderson type. This time, though, those options will know they're likely coming in as a backup rather than someone who can compete for a starting spot.

From @EERSBeers:

Q: Any eyes to keep on for football recruiting? In season is usually slower than off-season, but I haven’t heard much.

A: Penn State offensive tackle commit Kevin Brown is the big one, which I'm sure you've heard about by now. It's pretty much between West Virginia and Ohio State. A couple of other Penn State commits, ATH David Davis and DL Isaac Chukwurah, have visits in with WVU and are seriously considering the Mountaineers.

From @TML25302:

Q: Have we turned a corner, or was the Houston game a one-off?

A: You and the person who asked the first question in this week's mailbag have inspired me to write an article on this very topic. I don't believe it's a one-off for many reasons. Be on the lookout for it in the next 24 hours here on the website. And to answer the other part of your question, yes, I do think they're turning a corner. However, there will still be some inconsistent play, so the good times aren't here quite yet.

From @MrEd315:

Q: Does WVU football have any more upsets in them for the rest of the season? Or was it the Houston game?

A: It's certainly possible. Even with it being at home, I don't see Texas Tech happening unless Behren Morton is banged up, and yet still, I'm not sure they can overcome all the talent Tech has assembled this season. Arizona State, however, is a different story. They may have beaten Iowa State this past weekend, but you have to like your chances a million times more with Jeff Sims at quarterback over Sam Leavitt, who is now out for the year.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my poston Facebook.