WVU WR Prince Strachan Not on Dress List for Opener vs. Coastal Carolina

The USC transfer won't suit up today for the Mountaineers.

WVU Athletics Communications

Moments ago, both teams released their dress list for today's season opener, and West Virginia wide receiver Prince Strachan is not listed, meaning he will not play this afternoon versus Coastal Carolina.

Strachan suffered a shoulder injury back in the spring during the spring festival, after diving for a pass deep downfield. He has spent much of the summer trying to work his way back, and because of that, he's a little behind.

Strachan was cleared to return during fall camp but got banged up again recently. According to head coach Rich Rodriguez, he is expected to miss "a couple of weeks."

With Strachan not suiting up, the Mountaineers will move Jaden Bray to the X, and UConn transfer John Neider will slide into the starting lineup at the Z. LSU transfer TaRon Francis will be the primary backup to Bray at the X, but you can expect a handful of guys to play there, especially if the game goes the way West Virginia hopes it goes.

Strachan is going to be a massive piece of this West Virginia offense when he returns. The big 6'5", 215-pounder gives Mike Hawkins Jr. a nice big target to throw the ball up to downfield. But he's just as dangerous in the quick and intermediate passing game as well.

“(Special Teams Coordinator) Pat (Kirkland) coached his brother, who was a great player for him at Charleston, so we had a relationship with the family," Rodriguez said about Strachan. "We tried to get him before, and he went to USC. He’s a big body, an experienced guy.”

Strachan began his career at Boise State, where he caught 37 passes for 578 yards and three touchdowns over two seasons. After a strong 2024 campaign, he hopped in the transfer portal and landed at USC. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury there and got buried on the depth chart. That wide receiver room the Trojans had was loaded, so it's hard to tell where he would have factored in had he been healthy, but they definitely thought enough of him to go get him from Boise a year ago.

West Virginia and Coastal Carolina will get things underway at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on TNT. Following the game, tune in to the Mountaineer Postgame Show on YouTube (West Virginia On SI) to get our thoughts on the first game of the season.