Graham Harrell is the new offensive coordinator for the West Virginia Mountaineers. Harrell, a former gun slinger in the Air Raid Offense, at Texas Tech will bring a high powered offense to WVU. The former QB hails from the Hal Mumme coaching tree that has produced a lot of great offensive minds. Mike Leech, who coached Harrell at Texas Tech and now at Mississippi State comes to mind. Graham Harrell has seen success in his stops at both North Texas and USC as a play caller. Both stops had different tweaks to what his scheme would feature. At North Texas,…
Author: Kris Barrett
Kris Barrett
West Virginia resident, Country Roads. Currently covering the West Virginia Mountaineers and Marshall Thundering Herd. Lifelong Atlanta Braves fan.
With the Mountaineers season just 30 days away, we will begin to breakdown the days remaining through looking at former players. Today’s retro Mountaineer is #30 J.T. Thomas. The Fort Lauderdale product attended WVU from 2006-2010. Thomas, a three year starter at West Virginia that was known for his toughness. Whether it was in the run game, or his ability in coverage, Thomas was the ultimate blue-collar player in Morgantown. Thomas 2006-2007 J.T. Thomas came to WVU from Blanche Ely High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Thomas would help his high school reach the semifinals his senior season before stepping…
On September 17th, 2022, West Virginia University will enshrine eight new members into the schools Sports Hall of Fame. The 32nd class will include three Mountaineer football players, who played a major role in the program joining the Big 12. Three members are: Geno Smith, Stedman Bailey, and Tavon Austin. All three of these players helped put West Virginia back on the map in the early 2010’s. Geno Smith Geno Smith set many records while at West Virginia, including one in his teams inaugural game in the Big 12. Smith, the QB from Miramar, FL completed 45 passes, for 656…
With the departure of Grant Wells, the Marshall Thundering Herd will have a new signal caller in 2022. Wells, the starter for the past two seasons, has transferred to Virginia Tech. With the inexperience in the quarterback room, Coach Huff and his staff looked to the portal for help. The Herd coaches found that experience in 6’2″, 205 pound QB out of Texas Tech. His name, Henry Colombi. The Senior will look to spend his final collegiate year leading a Marshall offense, with a lot of explosive weapons returning in 2022. Who is Henry Colombi? Colombi has had a long…
For West Virginia and Pitt fans, the Backyard Brawl does not need any hype to make the game more interesting. All you have to do is mention the word Pitt to Mountaineer fans, and the rebellion burns like a wildfire. Whether it is a special rendition of Sweet Carolina echoing through the stadium, or a special chant that WVU fans love to yell. This rivalry has one feeling, hate! College Gameday heads to Acrisure Stadium West Virginia University and the University of Pittsburgh are separated by only 70 miles along Interstate 79. On September 1st, the two teams will play…
Marshall sophomore running back Ra’Sheen Ali has been named to the 2022 Maxwell Award watch list. Ali used a strong 2021 campaign to rise his stock coming into a new season. If the Herd can find sustained success in the new Sun Belt Conference, coupled with another great season from Ali, the back could get even more accolades in 2022. 2021 Season Review In 2021, Marshall running back Ra’Sheen Ali was brilliant. The redshirt freshman would tote the ball 250 times, for 1,401 yards. The running back would also add an NCAA leading 23 rushing touchdowns on the season. The…
West Virginia transfer quarterback, J.T. Daniels named to the preseason Maxwell Award watchlist. The new West Virginia quarterback looks to bring his experience to Morgantown and command the starting job. Daniels Transfers to WVU JT Daniels has found his new home in Morgantown, despite a long and winding road in college football. First, Daniels would commit to play at USC and was the starter as a freshman. Injuries would derail his time as a Trojan, despite putting up great numbers. In two seasons in Southern Cal, Daniels would complete 241 passes, for 2,887 yards and 15 touchdowns. In addition to USC,…
Marshall football will be playing in a new conference in 2022, and with it will come a new set of challenges. Huff had tremendous challenges face him and his team in 2021, challenges that Marshall can learn from heading into the Sun Belt. Marshall finished their final season in Conference USA with a 7-6 record, and an appearance in the New Orleans Bowl. Interestingly enough, Marshall would face Louisiana in the bowl game, a team that they will see yearly in the Sun Belt. Louisiana would go on to defeat the Herd in the game, 36-21. One of the bright…
Marshall football will be playing in a new conference in 2022, and with it will come a new set of challenges. Huff had tremendous challenges face him and his team in 2021, challenges that Marshall can learn from heading into the Sun Belt. Marshall finished their final season in Conference USA with a 7-6 record, and an appearance in the New Orleans Bowl. Interestingly enough, Marshall would face Louisiana in the bowl game, a team that they will see yearly in the Sun Belt. Louisiana would go on to defeat the Herd in the game, 36-21. One of the bright…
The 2021 season had for the Mountaineers had a lot of ups and downs. West Virginia started the season with a rough performance against the Terrapins in Maryland and ended it with one in the Bowl Game. Neal Brown and company lost a lot of talent to either graduation, the NFL Draft, or the transfer portal from last year’s team. Who on the WVU roster will look to breakout next season to try and help replace what the team lost? Tony Mathias Jr., RB We will start out with the more obvious choice here, in running back Tony Mathias Jr.…
