The Best Player at Every Position on WVU Football's Defense Ahead of 2026

Questions abound about the West Virginia defense in 2026. They don't have the big-time names like the offense has, but they are more experienced than they were a year ago and have the chance to post better overall production.

Today, we are going to zero in on the top player at each area of the defense.

Defensive Line: Zeke Durham-Campbell

I think Nate Gabriel is in for a breakout season, but Durham-Campbell has the highest upside of anyone on West Virginia's defensive line. He had a big year at Coastal Carolina last season, racking up 38 pressures, 21 hurries, and 12 QB hits. If he puts together a solid year of production with the Mountaineers this fall, he could play his way into being a late-round draft pick next spring.

Edge Rusher: Harper Holloman

Like Durham-Campbell, Holloman is making the jump up from the Group of Six after a solid year. Holloman was a third team all-conference selection, posting 39 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks, while generating 48 pressures. It's clear that he is West Virginia's best pass rushing threat and at the edge rusher position, he will have to carry a heavy workload as Tobi Haastrup and Jeremiah Johnson continue to develop and earn snaps.

Linebacker: Cam Torbor

I could have gone with Tyler Stolsky, but I'm going with the upside of Torbor here. If he lives up to his potential, he will be, without question, the Mountaineers' top linebacker, even as a redshirt freshman. The talent is off the charts, and it really just comes down to him getting comfortable in the system and performing at a consistent level when live bullets are flying.

Nickel/SAM: Geimere Latimer

This one is pretty obvious. Latimer has experience in Zac Alley's system and is by far the most experienced player overall in that room. Maliek Hawkins, the younger brother of Mike, is going to be a good player and the future starter here, but Latimer is a proven, high-level player. Also, I'm not sure anyone will consistently see the field beyond Latimer and Hawkins, barring a position change. In addition to being one of the better overall defenders in the back end, he is also one of the leaders of the Mountaineer defense.

Cornerback: Chams Diagne

I'm going with my gut on this one. Chams' size and length are hard to ignore. NFL scouts will be drooling if he has a strong month of September, particularly against Virginia and Oklahoma State. Over the last two years, Diagne has allowed 21 receptions and has yet to give up a touchdown. I do expect someone else to step up and challenge him for that top spot, be it Nick Taylor, Jaire Rawlison, Da'Mun Allen, etc.

Safety: Kamari Wilson

The well-traveled Kamari Wilson finally feels at home at West Virginia and has already taken over as the vocal leader of this defense despite being one of the many newbies. At Memphis, he was pretty sticky in pass coverage. We should see a significant improvement in that department from the safety group this season, factoring in Andrew Powdrell and Matt Sieg into that equation as well.

Add us as a preferred source on Google