Schuyler Callihan's WVU Football Preseason Awards

It's the final month without football. Well, sort of. Games don't start until September but fall camp opens at the start of August which will be the start of a new season in Morgantown.

With the Big 12 handing out preseason awards, I decided to go ahead and release my WVU-centric preseason awards.

Offensive Player of the Year - WR Kaden Prather

Prather could also be in consideration for the team's Most Improved Player, especially when you are projected to win Offensive Player of the Year after posting just 12 receptions a year ago. But I wanted to spread the wealth a little bit.

I almost went with Bryce Ford-Wheaton here too. BFW has been a consistent receiver since he first started earning legit playing time. That said, I feel that a lot of teams are going to focus in on him and Sam James, the two most experienced receivers on the roster. No one really knows about Kaden Prather yet and that's a good thing for JT Daniels and Neal Brown. With so much attention on Ford-Wheaton and James, it will give Prather a ton of favorable matchups and the space to work the middle of the field.

Defensive Player of the Year - DL Dante Stills

This was a tough one. I had Charles Woods penciled in here at first, but the type of season I am projecting Stills of having is too good to not be recognized. The sack numbers weren't quite where he wanted them to be this past season, but that will change in 2022. Akheem Mesidor no longer being with the team may hurt to some extent but this is the last ride for Stills at WVU and not only does he want to go out with a bang but he wants to cement himself as an NFL prospect.

Freshman of the Year - CB Jacolby Spells

It's really hard to pick any of these freshmen to have a stellar year because quite honestly, I don't see many of them getting a lot of playing time. So, I went with the one that is the most likely to have the most opportunities and that's Jacolby Spells. West Virginia is extremely thin on experience and bodies at the cornerback spot, so as long as Spells is able to pick things up quickly, he'll be in that cornerback rotation.

Newcomer of the Year - LB Lee Kpogba

Mountaineer fans may not know him yet, but this is the one guy fans should be most excited about. Kpogba has elite and I mean ELITE athleticism and instincts. It might be a bit bold to call him the best linebacker prospect that West Virginia has had over the past two decades but yeah, I'm going there. If he can stay healthy, there's no reason why he shouldn't quickly become one of the key pieces of Jordan Lesley's unit and be one of the best backers in the Big 12.

Most Improved Player - RT Brandon Yates

Yates is someone the coaching staff has liked since they first arrived in Morgantown but has had a ton of inconsistent play at left tackle. This offseason, they flipped him over to the right side and Wyatt Milum over to the left. This is a move that should benefit both as they will be playing on their hand dominant side. Left tackle is a completely different beast and Milum is better suited to handle that role. With Yates now on the right side, I believe we'll see him finally live up to his potential and become a key piece up front.

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