One Player Still Missing From West Virginia's 2026 Football Roster

This is a situation we'll be paying close attention to over the next few weeks.

WVU Athletics Communications

As expected, Rich Rodriguez did not include a preseason depth chart in this year's WVU football media guide, which was released on Tuesday morning, ahead of Big 12 Media Days in Frisco. He didn't do it last year, and that will probably continue to be the case in future years.

They did list the entire roster, per usual, and there is still no sign of freshman running back SirPaul Cheeks, who we noted the other day as being absent from the roster. There is still time for him to be added, however. The enrollment deadline for domestic freshmen at WVU is August 1st for the fall semester. West Virginia is slated to begin fall camp here in a few weeks, so we should have a good idea as to where things are with him by the time they hit the practice field for the first time.

Cheeks suffered a torn ACL in mid-October, bringing his senior year at L.C. Bird High School to an early end. He still signed with West Virginia in December, and at the time of his commitment last summer, he picked the Mountaineers over opportunities from Appalachian State, Ball State, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Delaware, East Carolina, Kentucky, Liberty, Minnesota, Old Dominion, Pitt, South Florida, Temple, UConn, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and a few others.

Cheeks is a small, shifty back who has the ability to rip off a big run at any given moment. Speed is the name of his game, and he does a really good job of staying at top speed while changing direction. Even if healthy, it would probably be a developmental year for him, although he would still have a role, potentially as a fourth back.

What if Cheeks doesn't show up?

Christopher Talley

Amari Latimer is expected to be the primary option behind Cam Cook, but after that, it gets a little interesting. Another true freshman, Chris Talley, flashed some potential during spring ball and is, without question, the fastest back in the room.

If Cheeks does show up and is healthy, I don't believe it will directly impact Talley's snaps, mainly because he's been on campus for several months now and has developed a level of trust from the coaching staff.

That said, not having Cheeks would be a hit to the depth of the room, which is already going to have to overcome the lack of experience. With the long list of injuries the Mountaineers had at the position a year ago, every player they have in that room is extremely valuable.