Top Five 2nd-Year Players Set to Make Major Impact in 2021

We are officially under 100 days until the Mountaineers kick off the 2021 season on the road against the Maryland Terrapins. West Virginia has an abundance of veteran talent on both sides of the ball but there will be some names fans may be a little unfamiliar with that will have a big role this upcoming season.

To help give you a little preview of some of those unfamiliar names, we list the top five second-year players that are expected to make a major impact this fall. This list will not include offensive lineman Zach Frazier or defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor based on the simple fact that they are fairly well-known after having tremendous true freshman seasons.

So, let's get to it.

CB Daryl Porter Jr.

Prior to the start of last season, Porter was receiving praise from the WVU coaching staff for how quickly he was adjusting to the college level. However, his body just wasn't strong enough nor ready enough to take on the types of receivers he would be facing the Big 12. Now that he has a whole year in the system and an offseason to thicken his frame and bulk up, Porter Jr. should be competing for a starting spot. Porter's development became even more crucial following the news of Dreshun Miller transferring out earlier this offseason.

Porter had a strong showing in the annual gold-blue spring game in April intercepting a ball in the end zone and making a couple of other plays on the ball, preventing a completion.

WR Sam Brown

In the early parts of last season, it seemed like Brown would slowly emerge into a starter or at the very least, a No. 4 receiver. He had the size, speed, and hands to be thrown into a big role but really didn't get that opportunity until later in the year, specifically in the bowl game vs Army. With several receivers returning, I wouldn't expect Brown to emerge into a top-two option but he should see a significant increase in targets.

OL Jordan White

White impressed the coaching staff last year as a true freshman and ran with the starting unit for much of spring ball, including the spring game at right guard. This could mean Doug Nester will kick out to right tackle or Nester might be in danger of not securing a starting job. Regardless, White will almost certainly see a lot of playing time and be rotated in if he does not lock up a starting spot.

DE Taurus Simmons & DE Lanell Carr

How does West Virginia continue to add to its pass rush? These two guys right here. Both have a linebacker background so they will be able to drop in coverage if need be but according to Neal Brown, it seems like they'll have their hand in the dirt more often than not.

"Lanell and Taurus have kind of grown into defensive end bodies and I'm really excited about both of them. Lanell is probably the most natural pass rusher that we have. He's working on continuing to change his body. He had two really good days in a row but he's a guy that I think has got upside. Taurus Simmons just works and he's kind of grown into a defensive end body too, he's really strong. I think both of those guys are going to be high-level players. I'll be disappointed if they're not factors for us this fall and give us significant snaps, but I think they have a lot of potential in the future."

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