Two WVU Players Poised for Bigger Roles After Darius Wiley's Injury

A couple of names to keep your eyes on as we head into Week 2.

West Virginia University edge Jeremiah Johnson | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

It's only one game into the 2026 season, and unfortunately, the injury bug has already penetrated a deep sting into West Virginia's defensive front.

The Mountaineers officially lost defensive lineman Darius Wiley for the season with a lower-body injury, head coach Rich Rodriguez announced on Monday. He didn't go into specifics, but noted that it was severe and could take a year, at a minimum, to recover from.

Wiley wasn't a known commodity, coming from the JUCO ranks, but he made a strong first impression in the opener against Coastal Carolina, and in what would end up being the final play of his season, he helped force a fumble that the Mountaineers were able to pounce on. It's a huge loss for this defense.

So, who steps up?

WVU Athletics Communications

There are a handful of guys who could get rotated in, including some youngsters who did not see the field last Saturday. On his radio show Monday night, Rich Rod tossed out two names that are at the top of the list to help fill Wiley's production.

“Jeremiah Johnson, we brought him in as a pass rusher, and he’s still learning. He was down on the scout team, and he was doing some great stuff, so I told our defensive staff we got to give him some reps, so he got some quality reps in the game on Saturday. Now, obviously, with Darius being down, Jeremiah will get more reps there. And Tobi Haastrup, who is another transfer that we brought in, he missed a large part of camp with an injury; he’s healthy now. So, he’s another guy we’ve got to fast-forward, and now he’s got an opportunity to play some D end for us.”

Johnson was fairly productive from a pass rushing standpoint on Saturday, generating four pressures, three hurries, and a QB hit in 15 snaps, all of which happened to be against the pass. When he was in the game, he didn't face a single run play. Haastrup was pretty quiet, but only saw action on three defensive snaps, so I wouldn't put much stock in that.

Last season at Butte JC, Johnson registered 34 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks, en route to being named the NorCal Conference Defensive MVP. As for Haastrup, he redshirted last season at Oregon and is still learning the game, having only picked it up as a senior in high school. Physically speaking, the dude is more than ready. He's cut from the same cloth as Kevin Brown.