WVU Football Stock Watch: Who’s Rising and Falling Before Week 1

Our final preseason stock report on the Mountaineers.

WVU Athletics Communications

Each week throughout the season, we will be doing a stock report for WVU football. It's something we began doing a few years back and is one of our most-read stories every week, so you can bet your bottom dollar we'll have that sucker posted shortly after each game.

This year, I have posted a few stock reports throughout spring ball and fall camp, and with it being the week before game week, I figured it would be good to drop one more preseason report. Keep in mind that it would take twelve years to do a stock report on every single player on the roster, so we usually limit it to three or four risers and fallers — noting the biggest movers.

Stock Up

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QB Mike Hawkins Jr.

I wasn't going to include Hawkins on here because I think it's fairly obvious at this point that he is the guy, as we have mentioned several times here throughout the offseason. But still, I wanted to give a little extra here for those who believe he is a run-first quarterback and has a long way to go as a passer. I'll just say this: he is doing more than fine slinging the ball around. He can make every throw and make some wow plays happen, too, as we got a glimpse of last week. Hawkins has command of the offense and doesn't look like a first-year player in the system. That being said, that will pop up at times throughout the season. It happens for every quarterback in his position.

WR Cyrus Traugh

Traugh has been quite a popular name on these things throughout the offseason, but I'm not going to leave him off because of that. He continues to stack good days together and make some spectacular catches that are heavily contested. The Parkersburg native is a completely different player than what he was when he arrived a year ago from Youngstown State. He will absolutely be a part of the Mountaineers' rotation.

OL Josh Aisosa

The coaching staff loves Aisosa's athleticism and has been moved around the o-line all throughout the offseason, getting action mostly at guard, and most recently some time at center. They believe he is one of those guys who are "good enough to win with," so don't be surprised to see him carve out a role. He's pushing those in front of him.

EDGE Tobi Haastrup

Early on, it looked like it might be a bit of a process for Haastrup, and while he's still far from a finished product, things are starting to slow down for him a little bit, allowing him to play faster and make plays. There is heavy competition at the edge spot behind Harper Holloman, but from what I gather, he is the top backup option at the moment. That could change by the time Week 1 rolls around, but they love his upside.

CB Jaire Rawlison

I've been hearing a lot of good things about the Kent State transfer throughout the last few weeks. I'm not exactly sure what his role will end up being, but I think it's safe to say that he will be a contributor on defense and be one of those guys Zac Alley trusts to put in the game at corner despite his small 5-foot-9 frame. Also, for what it's worth, he is the most experienced corner in the room.

Stock Down

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TE Cam Ball

The Mississippi State transfer had a really strong spring, catching nearly everything thrown in his direction. It seems as if Ryan Ward and Josh Sapp have created some separation, and that was before Ball suffered an injury that now has him questionable for the season opener. Ward and Sapp will be the top two guys at the position, and when Ball returns, I expect he will have a specialized role as a red-zone threat.

C Landen Livingston

Livingston started every game last year for the Mountaineers at center and played fairly well considering the circumstances. I wouldn't necessarily say Livingston is falling because he hasn't practiced well. Instead, it's more about the infusion of talent that's now in the room with him, battling for playing time. Wes King, Josh Aisosa, and Cam Griffin have all repped at center, and one of those guys will be the starter there. Livingston can serve as a depth piece at guard as well, but there he will be fighting against guys like Griffin, Devin Vass, Nick Krahe, and Bubba Grayson. The staff does have confidence in him, however. This is a good problem to have.

LB Ben Cutter

It's a very similar situation here for Cutter as it is with the aforementioned Landen Livingston. Cutter has experience in the system and a much better understanding of what is being asked of him in the scheme. But with the emergence of redshirt freshman Cam Torbor and the addition of Illinois transfer Malachi Hood, Cutter's role may not be as big as you expect it to be. Don't get me wrong, he is absolutely going to play and log a decent amount of snaps every week. The question is how much? Last year, he averaged 25.9 snaps per game. I wouldn't expect it to increase; let's just say that.