New WVU Football Depth Chart Projection + Intel Before First Scrimmage

A look at how things could look on Sep 5, after one week of fall camp.

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We are a little over one week into fall camp in Morgantown, and on Tuesday, the pads came on for the first time. This Saturday, the Mountaineers will hold their first scrimmage, which will give them an idea of where guys are and who still has a ways to go before being "game-ready."

Heading into that first scrimmage, here is how I see things on both sides of the ball.

OFFENSE

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QB: Mike Hawkins, Scotty Fox Jr., Max Brown, Jyron Hughley, Max Anderson, Wyatt Walker Brown, John Johnson III

The top two are pretty clear, but keep an eye on the true freshman, Jyron Hughley. Outside of Hawkins, I'd argue he's the most athletic of the remaining quarterbacks who could see time this year, albeit in mop-up duty. He could challenge for that No. 3 spot.

RB: Cam Cook, Amari Latimer, Chris Talley, Martavious Boswell, Andre Devine, Darius Morant, Lawrence Autry

Same thing here with the backs. There will be plenty of carries to go around beyond Cam Cook and Amari Latimer. They could make some progress toward finding that third guy this weekend. Boswell and Talley both have blazing speed and are the top candidates for that role. Andre Devine keeps making plays, though.

WR (X): Prince Strachan, TaRon Francis, Landon Drumm, Malachi Thompson

Earlier in camp, we heard some good things about Drumm from Jaden Bray. Inside receivers coach Logan Bradley also offered some praise for the true freshman. That being said, I wouldn't expect much of a role this fall. TaRon Francis, in my opinion, is the clear-cut No. 2 here and could be a difference-maker.

WR (SL): DJ Epps, Armoni Weaver-Bomar, Kedrick Triplett, Charlie Hanafin, Greg Wilfred

WVU will rotate a number of guys into the slot, including outside guys Jaden Bray and John Neider. There is a strong battle between Weaver-Bomar and Triplett for the backup spot behind Epps.

WR (Z): Jaden Bray, John Neider, Cyrus Traugh, Keon Hutchins, Robert Oliver, Brad Mossor

Neider is so talented that I don't expect him to be pigeonholed into any one spot, including the Z. They are going to want to find snaps for him. Hutchins has next-level speed, and Traugh has been turning heads just about every day, dating back to spring ball. Both will see the field.

TE: Josh Sapp, Ryan Ward, Cam Ball, Kade Bush, Sam Hamilton, Carter Zuliani, Xavier Anderson

I've said all along that Sapp, Ward, and Ball will all play and could see equal reps. I still believe they will all have a role, but I think we'll see Ball used more situationally (mainly red zone) because of his size. Ward and Sapp each bring something a little different to the table and should see close to a 50/50 split.

LT: Kevin Brown, Malik Agbo, Aidan Woods, Jonas Muya

We recently found out that true freshman Kevin Brown was working on the left side, and all signs point to him getting the nod in Week 1. Malik Agbo may be listed as his backup, but he could be a swing tackle option, given that he has experience playing both sides.

LG: Nick Krahe, Josh Aisosa, Rhett Morris, Raymond Kovalesky

The backup guard spot has been tough to nail down. It could be Aisosa, one of the guys I have behind Amare Grayson at right guard, or perhaps Landen Livingston/Cam Griffin.

C: Wes King, Cam Griffin, Landen Livingston, Lamarcus Dillard

King has run away with this job. Livingston is still getting reps there but is being challenged by Griffin for that backup role, who has gotten out to a strong start in camp.

RG: Amare Grayson, Devin Vass, Camden Goforth, Trevor Bigelow

I feel pretty good about this being the top two options, but Josh Aisosa could work here as well.

RT: Carsten Casady, Deshawn Woods, Andreas Hunter

With Kevin Brown on the left side, that keeps Casady at right tackle, which is where he played for UConn last season. Again, Malik Agbo could be the first guy in here as a swing tackle.

DEFENSE

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DE: Zeke Durham-Campbell, Darius Wiley, Wilnerson Telemaque, Emerson Joy, Brandon Caesar
DT: Corey McIntyre Jr., KJ Henson, Taylor Brown, Yendor Mack, Gabe Ryan
NT: Nate Gabriel, Will LeBlanc, Jaylen Thomas, Cam Mallory

I moved a few guys around positionally, but nothing really changed with my projected two-deep. I do think we are in for one hell of a battle between LeBlanc and Thomas and NT, and don't be surprised if true freshman Yendor Mack carves out a small role this season at DT. All of these guys will move around across the line, but Gabriel and Thomas will almost exclusively play NT.

EDGE: Harper Holloman, Tobi Haastrup, David Afogho, Jeremiah Johnson, Noah Tishendorf, Carter Kessler

No changes here. WVU is hoping that one or two of Haastrup, Afogho, and Johnson can turn into a reliable rotation option behind Holloman, who is pretty much locked into a starting spot. All three of those guys have shown flashes, but Haastrup is the one with the highest upside.

MIKE: Tyler Stolsky, Ashton Woods, Isaiah Patterson, Troy Fischer
WILL: Cam Torbor, Ben Cutter, Malachi Hood, Cam Dwyer, Jason Hall Jr., Antoine Sharp Jr.

The more I dig into the linebacker group, the more I believe they could be the best unit on the defensive side of the ball. The rotation will likely go six deep, maybe seven as we get deeper into the season. Stolsky has done a lot of good things and appears to be trending toward starting, and Torbor's incredible athleticism and potential are what have me believing he'll get the nod at WILL.

Although he's been around forever, I think Ben Cutter could split some snaps with Illinois transfer Malachi Hood. Each of the top three listed at WILL is going to play; it's just a matter of how they go about the division of labor.

Nickel/SAM: Geimere Latimer, Maliek Hawkins, Miles Khatri, Emory Snyder, Jayden Ballard

Other guys at other positions can come in and take snaps here as well, i.e., Andrew Powdrell and Jacob Bradford. Latimer is obviously the leader in this room, but Hawkins has made some nice plays during camp to solidify his role in the secondary, in addition to being a part of the special teams unit.

CB: Chams Diagne, ChaMarryus Bomar, Jaire Rawlison, Rayshawn Reynolds Jr., Simaj Hill
CB: Nick Taylor, Keyshawn Robinson, Da'Mun Allen, Vincent Smith, Makhi Boone, Jayden Bell

I'm not even sure the coaching staff has an idea as to how these two cornerback spots are going to pan out. Chams Diagne seems like the obvious starter, but I wouldn't say he's locked anything up just yet. Robinson and Bomar, who saw a little bit of action last year, are challenging, as well as JUCO products Rayshawn Reynolds and Da'Mun Allen, and Kent State transfer Jaire Rawlison. I'm getting the sense that this is going to be a competition that ends up spilling into the season. If you are Zac Alley, you just hope you find the right pairing before Week 3.

FS: Andrew Powdrell, Matt Sieg, Jacob Bradford, Tim Roberson, Shane Cornali
BS: Kamari Wilson, Kameron Reddic, Da'Mare Williams, Rickey Giles, Alex Adebayo

Wilson has emerged as the vocal leader of this defense, and Powdrell is someone the staff is extremely high on, believing he could be one of their top performers. Stud freshman Matt Sieg will still play heavy snaps behind him at FS.