WVU OL Kevin Brown is Already Proving That He's Not a Typical True Freshman

High-end four-star talents aren't always guaranteed hits.

Heck, you'd be surprised by how often a five-star doesn't pan out, or live up to the high expectations placed upon them coming out of high school. It takes more than pure talent to be an elite player at the Division I level, particularly in the Power Four.

While he has yet to take an official snap, WVU true freshman offensive lineman Kevin Brown is sure looking the part. Head coach Rich Rodriguez drooled over the possibility of landing him, knowing that he's a program-changing talent. With fifteen practices now under his belt in Morgantown, Brown has done exactly what Rodriguez and the staff thought he would do — push for a role immediately.

“Kevin is not like a typical true freshman," Rodriguez said of Brown on Saturday. "He’s supposed to be in high school right now. He’s obviously a big, physical athlete. He’s been coached well, trained well. His dad did a great job training him. And he loves football. His mentality is infectious. He’s what we thought he was when we recruited him, and he’s going to have a great career here.”

Brown has repped at both tackle spots, but likely won't be in the starting lineup when they take the field on September 5th against Coastal Carolina, thanks to the staff being able to land some veterans out of the transfer portal, such as Carsten Casady, Cam Griffin (can play all five spots) and DeShawn Woods (JUCO), and retaining guys like Nick Krahe and Malik Agbo.

That doesn't mean he won't see the field, though. Actually, he'll probably work his way into being among the first batch of guys rotated into the game. Whether that's Week 1, by the start of Big 12 play, or closer to midway through the year is anyone's guess, but it'll be sooner rather than later.

What's not in question is whether or not he'll live up to all of the hype. As Rodriguez said, he's not your typical freshman. He's a different breed. He's already one of the strongest linemen on the roster, and that's with very minimal time with strength coach Mike Joseph.

The other part of it that has been encouraging is how he hasn't been overwhelmed mentally. Aside from quarterback, playing along the offensive line is the toughest transition to make from high school to college, and thus far, he's acquitted himself well, doing more than just holding his own — he's getting push and doing some good things in pass pro.

Brown is going to be a massive piece of this team's future, and who knows? Maybe he ends up being a critical piece of the offense in 2026 as well.

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