My Fiver on WVU's outlook in football for 2024>>>
1. Our strength, once again, is our strength. During Don Nehlen's prime years, WVU may not have had the most talent (other than '88 of course), but his teams were strong and were pains in the ass to go up against. Neal Brown has fashioned the same trait for our program in 2024 (and beyond). Don't get me wrong - we have talent. But, I love the fact that we are strong up front on both sides of the ball. Wyatt Milum is shaping up to be All Big-12 if not All-American at OT. Tomas Rimac may be the most underrated player on the team - he's our road grader. I love the interior defensive line with Mulbah, Vesterinen, and Sean Martin returning after logging many snaps over the past few seasons. Our lines have been there, done that. We return the best rushing attack out of the P5. We are going to be a pain in the ass.
2. Garrett Greene could possibly take his place as a Mountaineer legend after '24 concludes. Ollie Luck broke in the new era of Mountaineer football with a 26-6 Peach Bowl win over Florida. Jeff Hostetler had his Oklahoma moment and back to back 9-3 seasons with a bowl victory over Kentucky. Major was Major, nuff said. Jake Kelchner delivered 17-14 over Miami, and Studstill delivered 17-14 over BC with an epic throw to Ed Hill. They teamed up to give us "11-0 baby! That's 11-0!". Pat White gave us 4 bowl victories, 2 over SEC and Big 12 Champions. Geno had oranges and 70.
Garrett is on his way. 2023 and 9-4 weren't exactly the stuff of Legend...there were great moments, sure. But there were also head-scratching moments, like the 2nd and 3rd quarters in Houston, the entire Oklahoma game, his disappearance during most of the 2nd half in Waco. But one thing is for certain -- he is electric and he is the lynchpin. He is the straw that stirs the drink. And we have surrounded him with a huge abundance of talent. The fact that we have a 4-star WR in Rodney Gallagher who is essentially our 5th or 6th option on offense is amazing. I don't want to make too much out of the Penn State game because, really, we can lose that game and still have an epic season which results in a Playoff berth. But that PSU game is where Legends are made. Pat Randolph will forever hold a place in Mountaineer lore, and Major put a stamp of emphasis on his legacy when he dropped half a hundred on Joe. I have a feeling that Garrett is going to leave it all on the field on August 31. I have a feeling that we are going to see him at his best. And he wins that game? His ballad will take on a whole new complexion.
3. The secondary. To me, our ability to succeed at the highest of levels in 2024 (i.e. Big 12 Championship game, Playoff berth) will come down to whether we put together a strong P5 secondary in the free agent market, or whether we struck out. We have two known quantities in Aubrey Burks and Anthony Wilson, and perhaps you can say the same for Jacolby Spells, for what he is worth. But I have high hopes for the two Northwestern transfers - Garnett Hollis in particular. From what I've read, he is NFL caliber. He showed out well vs. Penn State last year, and against the Big 10 competition as a whole. So, this level of play will not be new to him. With Ayden Garnes (Duquesne), TJ Crandall (Colorado St.), Kekoura Tarnue (Jax State) and Israel Boyce (true freshman)...this is a jump in competition. That does concern me a bit.
4. How much fun is going to be to watch WVU line up with Tyrin Bradley, Josiah Trotter, Trey Lathan at LB, knowing that we can also throw Ty French, Reid Carrico and Ben Cutter out there if necessary? Out of the gate, our LBs are going to be tested by Penn State's backs. Furthermore, The Big 12 has morphed into a power running game conference. Teams like Utah, K-State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and even Texas Tech are going to try to grind you down running the ball. While I still stand by the fact that the secondary is going to be the barometer of our year, it is nice knowing that we are going to be stout at the LB position. We missed Trey Lathan last season after his injury. He is a difference maker. And let's hope that between Bradley and French, we can put some heat on opposing QBs.
5. Outlook. Expectations are high in Morgantown. Kudos to Neal Brown and unsung hero Drew Fabianich at GM who have not only stocked the roster with talent, but have done a fantastic job with retention and building a team culture and identity. We are going to run the ball right at you, around you, and try to take the top off. That's who we are, and we are a handful. However, our schedule is damn stout. We may return a lot of talent, but so does everyone else in the Big 12. Guys like radioactive Mountaineer killer Ollie Gordon III, Noah Fafita and Tetairoa McMillan at Arizona, Tahj Brooks at Texas Tech, 40-year old man Cam Rising at Utah, they all return. We are going to be in some tough, tough games. I think there's going to be an emphasis on special teams - game winning FGs, not spearing our own punt returner, not giving up two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a quarter, etc. But, if the game is tight, and we have the ball, with Garrett Greene and Co., I really like our chances. This ain't Jarrett Doege to Sam James anymore.
I think we are in for a great season. Somewhere out there, there's a couple land mines we'll step on. 12-0 is damn hard to do. It's hard to make predictions with such a difficult schedule. But, one prediction I will make is this: We are going to beat Penn State on August 31. I love the fact that PSU is breaking in two new coordinators, and that Drew Allar is under pressure to perform. There's so many intangibles in our favor in the opener, other than the aura and Curse of the White Clad Ghosts. We will meet the Invaders, we will do battle. And we will win. I not only think we'll win, but I'm going to go on record saying that we win by more than two touchdowns. From there, we're off and running.
It'll be a time for the misty taste of Moonshine. Gonna be a fun ride.
1. Our strength, once again, is our strength. During Don Nehlen's prime years, WVU may not have had the most talent (other than '88 of course), but his teams were strong and were pains in the ass to go up against. Neal Brown has fashioned the same trait for our program in 2024 (and beyond). Don't get me wrong - we have talent. But, I love the fact that we are strong up front on both sides of the ball. Wyatt Milum is shaping up to be All Big-12 if not All-American at OT. Tomas Rimac may be the most underrated player on the team - he's our road grader. I love the interior defensive line with Mulbah, Vesterinen, and Sean Martin returning after logging many snaps over the past few seasons. Our lines have been there, done that. We return the best rushing attack out of the P5. We are going to be a pain in the ass.
2. Garrett Greene could possibly take his place as a Mountaineer legend after '24 concludes. Ollie Luck broke in the new era of Mountaineer football with a 26-6 Peach Bowl win over Florida. Jeff Hostetler had his Oklahoma moment and back to back 9-3 seasons with a bowl victory over Kentucky. Major was Major, nuff said. Jake Kelchner delivered 17-14 over Miami, and Studstill delivered 17-14 over BC with an epic throw to Ed Hill. They teamed up to give us "11-0 baby! That's 11-0!". Pat White gave us 4 bowl victories, 2 over SEC and Big 12 Champions. Geno had oranges and 70.
Garrett is on his way. 2023 and 9-4 weren't exactly the stuff of Legend...there were great moments, sure. But there were also head-scratching moments, like the 2nd and 3rd quarters in Houston, the entire Oklahoma game, his disappearance during most of the 2nd half in Waco. But one thing is for certain -- he is electric and he is the lynchpin. He is the straw that stirs the drink. And we have surrounded him with a huge abundance of talent. The fact that we have a 4-star WR in Rodney Gallagher who is essentially our 5th or 6th option on offense is amazing. I don't want to make too much out of the Penn State game because, really, we can lose that game and still have an epic season which results in a Playoff berth. But that PSU game is where Legends are made. Pat Randolph will forever hold a place in Mountaineer lore, and Major put a stamp of emphasis on his legacy when he dropped half a hundred on Joe. I have a feeling that Garrett is going to leave it all on the field on August 31. I have a feeling that we are going to see him at his best. And he wins that game? His ballad will take on a whole new complexion.
3. The secondary. To me, our ability to succeed at the highest of levels in 2024 (i.e. Big 12 Championship game, Playoff berth) will come down to whether we put together a strong P5 secondary in the free agent market, or whether we struck out. We have two known quantities in Aubrey Burks and Anthony Wilson, and perhaps you can say the same for Jacolby Spells, for what he is worth. But I have high hopes for the two Northwestern transfers - Garnett Hollis in particular. From what I've read, he is NFL caliber. He showed out well vs. Penn State last year, and against the Big 10 competition as a whole. So, this level of play will not be new to him. With Ayden Garnes (Duquesne), TJ Crandall (Colorado St.), Kekoura Tarnue (Jax State) and Israel Boyce (true freshman)...this is a jump in competition. That does concern me a bit.
4. How much fun is going to be to watch WVU line up with Tyrin Bradley, Josiah Trotter, Trey Lathan at LB, knowing that we can also throw Ty French, Reid Carrico and Ben Cutter out there if necessary? Out of the gate, our LBs are going to be tested by Penn State's backs. Furthermore, The Big 12 has morphed into a power running game conference. Teams like Utah, K-State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and even Texas Tech are going to try to grind you down running the ball. While I still stand by the fact that the secondary is going to be the barometer of our year, it is nice knowing that we are going to be stout at the LB position. We missed Trey Lathan last season after his injury. He is a difference maker. And let's hope that between Bradley and French, we can put some heat on opposing QBs.
5. Outlook. Expectations are high in Morgantown. Kudos to Neal Brown and unsung hero Drew Fabianich at GM who have not only stocked the roster with talent, but have done a fantastic job with retention and building a team culture and identity. We are going to run the ball right at you, around you, and try to take the top off. That's who we are, and we are a handful. However, our schedule is damn stout. We may return a lot of talent, but so does everyone else in the Big 12. Guys like radioactive Mountaineer killer Ollie Gordon III, Noah Fafita and Tetairoa McMillan at Arizona, Tahj Brooks at Texas Tech, 40-year old man Cam Rising at Utah, they all return. We are going to be in some tough, tough games. I think there's going to be an emphasis on special teams - game winning FGs, not spearing our own punt returner, not giving up two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a quarter, etc. But, if the game is tight, and we have the ball, with Garrett Greene and Co., I really like our chances. This ain't Jarrett Doege to Sam James anymore.
I think we are in for a great season. Somewhere out there, there's a couple land mines we'll step on. 12-0 is damn hard to do. It's hard to make predictions with such a difficult schedule. But, one prediction I will make is this: We are going to beat Penn State on August 31. I love the fact that PSU is breaking in two new coordinators, and that Drew Allar is under pressure to perform. There's so many intangibles in our favor in the opener, other than the aura and Curse of the White Clad Ghosts. We will meet the Invaders, we will do battle. And we will win. I not only think we'll win, but I'm going to go on record saying that we win by more than two touchdowns. From there, we're off and running.
It'll be a time for the misty taste of Moonshine. Gonna be a fun ride.
