With all of the preseason awards and rankings flying around this past couple weeks, it leads to me to conclude one thing: WVU is flying well under the nation’s radar. WVU, who had high expectations last season after a massive Orange Bowl win over Clemson, is now picked to finish 8th in a conference that they went to to compete against better teams. While I agree with the rankings, I also believe that WVU will have much more talent on the field than most people think, it’s just not proven talent. Yet.
Offensively the ranking is justified. Sure, WVU lost three of the best offensive players in the country to the NFL, but they have picked up possibly three more potential draft picks, in my opinion. Clint Trickett, while he definitely is a wild card, will likely get the starting spot at quarterback. When the spring started, Trickett looked to be the favorite at Florida State. He sat behind EJ Manuel, who was the first quarterback taken in the NFL draft. He threw for just over 140 yards, completing 50 percent of his passes and fired a touchdown at FSU’s spring game. Not outstanding, but it was the best of anyone else on the team. The FSU coaching staff was leaning in another direction, however, and that left Trickett on the fence and ultimately coming to WVU to compete (and likely win) the starting job. Trickett hasn’t proved himself yet at the Division I level, but with Dana Holgorsen’s offense, it won’t take much.
Next there’s Charles Sims at running back. This move is one of the biggest moves made this offseason in college football. Athlon Sports ranked Sims as the 2nd biggest impact transfer for 2013. Sims already has some experience in a Holgorsen run offense and he comes to a backfield that is already strong. Holgorsen might find himself running the ball a little bit more, taking pressure off of Trickett and young receivers. Sims was listed on the Maxwell Award watch list and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. The backfield will harbor Sims, Andrew Buie, Dustin Garrison, JUCO transfer Dreamious Smith, and Wendell Smallwood, who will likely redshirt.
In the receiving corps, newcomer Kevin White will be looking to make a splash. WVU is used to having smaller receivers like Bailey and Austin, but White stands 6’4″. Holgorsen has had success with these types of guys. Look at Justin Blackmon. White caught 36 passes for 535 yards and 6 touchdowns last season at the JUCO level. He caught 5 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown at the spring game. Behind him, there are guys who have yet had a chance to prove themselves. Connor Arlia is one of those guys. No one knows yet how much playing time he’ll get, but if Holgorsen is unimpressed with Jordan Thompson, Arlia could see some significant playing time. There’s also freshman Shelton Gibson who, if not redshirted, can also vie for some minutes. Gibson has good hands and solid speed. He compares well with Bailey, who was a fluid route runner.
On the defensive side you have young guys like Karl Joseph and Isaiah Bruce who will continue to get better and be leaders. There’s also Nana Kyeremeh who came in last season and showed off his quickness at cornerback. The defensive line leaves something to be desired, but Will Clarke and Kyle Rose are likely to stir up some trouble. The defense will unfortunately struggle again against the pass, but there a some bright spots that will keep getting brighter for the Mountaineers.
All in all, the rankings seem to be right, but WVU has the talent to exceed those expectations. The key will be staying consistent and staying healthy, something the Mountaineers struggled with last season in the Big 12.
