What's the Plan for Freshman OL Kevin Brown? Is Day-One Starter Still a Possibility?

One of the biggest victories for Rich Rodriguez over the past 365 days didn't come on the field. It came on the recruiting trail.

Yes, I'm aware there were only four wins to pick from, but two of them were a pretty big deal — getting revenge against Pitt and beating a top-25 team on the road for the first time in seven years. Still, the flip and eventual signing of offensive lineman Kevin Brown was just as big and could be a program changer.

Initially, there was some thought that Brown could start immediately for WVU. Zach Frazier and Wyatt Milum both started as true freshmen, so why not Brown? It's still a possibility, but more bodies are now in the mix.

Let's discuss.

Introducing Carsten Casady + Deshawn Woods

Casady comes to West Virginia by way of UConn, where he was a key fixture for the Huskies over the past two seasons. He didn't allow a single sack in 654 pass pro snaps and was pretty stout in the run game as well, earning PFF grades of 75.3 and 73.7 in that category. That's proven production and a ton of snaps (1,167) that WVU couldn't count on there a year ago.

As for Woods, he initially began his career at Wyoming before making the move to the junior college level, playing at Butler Community College. He landed on the All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Honorable Mention list in 2024 and helped Butler become one of the top-10 rushing offenses in all of JUCO.

Don't forget about Malik Agbo

Agbo saw limited action last year, but does have a slight advantage over the others in that he does have game experience in this system and plenty of practice tape. He'll need to fill out his frame to have a legit shot at having an expanded role in 2026. Could see him being a swing tackle or a depth piece on the right side.

Likely path for Kevin Brown

Starting Week 1 still doesn't seem all that far-fetched to me. I know, it sounds crazy, but the young man is just an absolute athletic freak. Physically, he's been ready for the college level for about a year now. I'm not completely ruling out the idea of him starting against Coastal Carolina. That said, Carsten Casady is who I'm slotting in the starting role, which will give Brown time to make the transition, get reps in the system, and be ready to take over when the time is right, as opposed to being thrown into the fire. Even in this scenario, he'll still see the field at the beginning of the season.

Introducing Carsten Casady + Deshawn Woods

Don't forget about Malik Agbo

Likely path for Kevin Brown

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