West Virginia Mountaineers 2024 Preview: To the Mountaintop?

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The West Virginia Mountaineers aren’t being talked about enough as Big 12 Conference title contenders. Yes, the conference will be competitive from top to bottom this season. With it being anyone’s conference, this is going to be a dogfight week in and week out.

Head coach Neal Brown and his team surprised a lot of folks last season, going 9-4 overall and 6-3 in conference. Before last season, many were talking about how this was Brown’s last shot and was on the hot seat. Nobody’s talking about that now. Brown received a decent-sized contract extension and has his squad set for a potential run at the Big 12 title.

West Virginia Offense

The West Virginia offense is your patented Big 12 type of offense. Explosive in both the run and the

pass, the Mountaineers will compete with the best of them.

Quarterback Garrett Greene headlines this group. Greene has been nominated for the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Memorial Trophy, Walter Camp Award, Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Preseason Watch Lists. For good reason. Greene recorded 2,406 yards passing, 772 yards rushing and 29 total touchdowns in 2023.

One of the truest dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation, Greene is set for another massive year.

One reason he’s set for such a big season is his supporting cast. The Mountaineer receiving corps

essentially returns all their starters from last season. It's led by former walk-on Hudson Clement, who is the leading returner with 480 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. This unit has a lot of depth and talent that

will assist Greene. Other featured receivers are Oklahoma State transfer Jaden Bray, sophomore

standout Rodney Gallagher III, Preston Fox and Traylon Ray. Tight end Kole Taylor also is featured in this

offense as a receiving threat. Taylor recorded 444 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2023.

Not only does Greene have the receivers to work with, though. The bread-and-butter of this offense is

its run game. West Virginia’s rushing attack ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 4 nationally. It wasn't just Greene doing the heavy lifting. Veteran running back CJ Donaldson showed his talents

by rushing for 798 yards and 11 touchdowns. True freshman Jahiem White broke out into the

spotlight, rushing for 842 yards and 6 total touchdowns. The top three rushers on this team return for

2024, which could spell trouble for opposing defenses.

Don't count out the offensive line. It's one of the most experienced ones in the country. Even after losing starters Zach Frazier and Doug Nester, the Mountaineers return starting junior lineman

Wyatt Milum, senior Ja’Quay Hubbard and senior Brandon Yates. The Mountaineers will also start Nick

Malone and Tomas Rimac to top off an offensive line that shouldn’t lose a step this season.

The Mountaineer offense is set to be one of the best in the country, much like the rest of the Big 12. That

being said, with potent offenses in the conference, the Mountaineers will have to find a way to

stand out once again as they did last year.

This next unit will also have to stand out and stay healthy, which was a major concern last season.

West Virginia Defense

The Mountaineer defense showed great resolve last year, dealing with many injuries. They finished in

the top half of the conference defensively, even after losing almost their entire linebacking corps. This

season, however, depth will pose an issue should this team not stay healthy. This defense did bring in

some depth at every position, adding eight new pieces across the defense.

At linebacker is where that added depth is perhaps most important. The linebacking corps was

battered by injuries last year. But it let young standouts like Ben Cutter a chance to make a

name for themselves. Josiah Trotter and Trey Lathan will return this season, but the Mountaineers

were still thin entering the Transfer Portal season. West Virginia added Ohio State transfer Reid Carrico to the lineup, bolstering the position a bit. Junior Caden Biser may also make appearances as a key rotational piece.

The defensive line should once again be a strong group for this defense, which led the Big 12 with 33

total sacks. Sacks leader Reid Bartlett will return along with Jalen Thornton and Asani Redwood. The

Mountaineers add Gardner-Webb Bulldog transfer Ty French, who was a leading EDGE rusher in

the FCS last season. Topping off the list of returning standouts are Sean Martin and Edward Vesterinen.

This unit will once again have strength in numbers and should have more strength coming off the edge

this season, something it lacked in 2023.

Finally, the secondary sees a lot of new faces enter the fray. The sole returning starters are

safeties Aubrey Burks and Anthony Wilson. The Mountaineers added Garnett Hollis Jr. and Jaheem

Joseph from the Transfer Portal via the Northwestern Wildcats. They also added Duquesne Dukes transfer

Ayden Garnes, Charlotte 49ers transfer Dontez Fagan, Jacksonville State Gamecocks transfer Kekoura

Tarnue and Colorado State Rams transfer TJ Crandall. They are joined by new projected starters and

key rotational players Josiah Jackson, Jacolby Spells, Israel Boyce and Jordan Jackson. A group that sees a

lot of new faces and depth looks to mesh well en route to success.

This is more or less the case for the entire defense. The Mountaineers have a lot of moving parts. Maintaining a healthy group that works well together will give the defense a chance to succeed. Should they develop that chemistry and stay healthy, they will be a top unit in the conference and maybe even the country.

In Conclusion

West Virginia has as good a chance as any team in the conference to make it to the title game.

That’s just it, though. This conference will be a dogfight every week. West Virginia will have to play its best game every week. If last year is any indication, then it can certainly happen.

The new pieces will have to mesh early. A tough nonconference slate that features the likes of the Penn

State Nittany Lions and a sneaky Pitt Panthers squad could pose some issues. West Virginia still has some kinks to work out. Being perfect in nonconference play before a Big 12 opener against preseason-ranked Kansas would be a big boost. The Mountaineers can do it. If they keep their momentum going forward in a loaded conference schedule, then they will be up there at the top of the conference standings.

That’s easier said than done, though. The Mountaineers are likely to drop at least one or two of the

multiple games against ranked teams in that first five conference game stretch. For now, it’s best to keep

expectations fairly modest. Don't be surprised if this West Virginia squad surprises a few folks.

Record: 9-3 (6-3 Big 12)