Phil Steele is ‘Really Bullish’ on WVU, Believes They Could Be 'Surprise Team in Big 12'

The college football expert likes what this WVU team is capable of.

WVU Athletics Communications

This morning kicked off year four of Phil Steele Friday on the In The Gun Podcast.

Every Friday throughout the college football season, the czar of college football joins Jed Drenning and me to give his thoughts on the best matchups in the Top 25, Big 12, and, of course, that week's West Virginia game.

With the Mountaineers taking on Coastal, Phil's thoughts this week were more angled toward the big picture — what he expects from the team in 2026 — while also dropping a quick thought on what he believes we'll see this Saturday.

“I think we’re going to see a better brand of football. I’m really bullish on this West Virginia squad. When I was talking with Rich Rod, he was really impressed with the pickup of Rick Trickett as the offensive line coach. Plus, they bring in a couple offensive linemen from Jacksonville State. They got Michael Hawkins at QB, Cam Cook coming in from Jacksonville State; this is a vastly improved West Virginia team. I don’t have to worry about West Virginia fans coming over to my house, grabbing my couch, and burning it in the front yard this year like last year. I think if you’re looking for a surprise team in the Big 12, it’s West Virginia. I think they jump out of the gate with a big win here.

After giving his initial thoughts on the team and game, I asked Phil where this offense could sit in the Big 12 if they get what they are hoping for out of Amari Latimer behind Cam Cook, along with solid quarterback play from Mike Hawkins Jr.

“I think the sky is the limit for this group," Steele said. "I’m really impressed. And remember last year, they were down to what? Their fifth-string running back? Fifth-string quarterback at times? So, let’s just keep a little bit healthier this year, and if that’s the case, I think this offense can be really potent.”

West Virginia has a nice runway in these first couple of games to establish chemistry and learn what it does well before heading to Charlotte to play Virginia.

Here are the other games we discussed with Phil this week:

Clemson at LSU
Marshall at Penn State
Louisville vs. Ole Miss
North Texas at Indiana
SMU at Florida State
Oregon State at Houston
Boston College at Cincinnati
Oklahoma State at Tulsa
Baylor vs. Auburn

You can watch the full episode here.