The Young Core WVU Football Should Build Around

Even in today's era of college sports, where you are really just trying to build the best team possible every given year, you still have to retain the best players on your roster to give you a core that can not only lead you in production but also be strong voices in the locker room as well.

There are a number of players on West Virginia's roster that could fall under that description, but some stand out more than others. For the Mountaineers to be successful in the future, they need these nine players in particular to produce, stay, and continue to improve.

Allow me to introduce you to my projected "core" of West Virginia's future, naming three players per class of those who have at least three years of eligibility remaining.

First Year Players

The trio: RB Amari Latimer, OL Kevin Brown, S Matt Sieg

Of course, these guys still have a lot to prove, considering they have yet to play a single down of college football. That said, there is a reason these three were so highly touted coming out of high school. They are not your typical true freshmen. Amari Latimer and Kevin Brown look like they have been in Mike Joseph's strength training program for several years already, while Matt Sieg is just a flat-out athlete who has an incredible IQ of the game. To be honest, outside of the quarterback that we will eventually get to, this is the future of Mountaineer football right here.

As it stands now, Kevin Brown is a day one starter, Matt Sieg is a day one starter, and Amari Latimer is the primary backup to Cam Cook.

Second Year Players

The trio: WR TaRon Francis, EDGE Tobi Haastrup, N/S Maliek Hawkins

All three here are unproven at the college level, but my goodness, the potential is through the roof. From everything I've been told, I think WVU has a chance of hitting on all three of these guys, but even if it's just two of them, that's a major win.

For Francis, the ability to be a dynamic receiver is absolutely there; the game just has to slow down for him. He finished spring ball stringing together some good practices, so he is showing signs of turning the corner, but it's still going to take some time. The good news is, WVU doesn't need him to be elite in 2026. They have plenty of depth at receiver, allowing him to make some plays here and there while getting his feet wet.

Haastrup (the 19-year-old pictured above) is far from being a polished product. Yeah, that's pretty crazy to think when you take a quick glance at him, because just imagine what he's going to be able to do when he has a full understanding of how to use all of that strength. He picked up football in his senior year of high school and then redshirted at Oregon after playing a handful of snaps. He's a work in progress, but he oozes with potential.

I've had a few folks ask me about Maliek Hawkins, and let me just say this: he isn't just the brother of quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. The kid can play and will absolutely make a name for himself in Morgantown. The staff feels good about where he is that we'll see Andrew Powdrell play more at the safety spot, paving the way for him to be Geimere Latimer's primary backup at nickel/sam. Expect Zac Alley to use him a ton as a blitzer as well. They love his ability to come screaming downhill and get in the quarterback's face.

Third Year Players

The trio: QB Mike Hawkins Jr., OL Amare Grayson, EDGE Harper Holloman

This is where it gets really tough. There are a handful of others I could have listed, and really, the same goes for the last two groupings of players, too. There is a cluster of players who aren't going to be featured in this story that will be pivotal to the team's future, but I'm trying to narrow the focus here to a select few.

Hawkins is a special talent, man. I've been hammering this point home all offseason long, and I still think there are some out there who believe there is some sort of quarterback competition heading into fall camp or that it was neck and neck back in the spring. This is his team, and it has been for quite some time now. This is a setting-the-tone type of year for him. What we see this fall is just a table setter for what's to come.

Amare "Bubba" Grayson is my projected starter at right guard and will be a rock steady presence on the interior. Last season at Jacksonville State, he allowed just 10 pressures, eight hurries, one QB hit, and one sack. The year before, he boasted similar numbers but didn't allow a sack. Oh, and he can get nasty in the run game, too.

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