With Big 12 action just around the corner, and the newest edition of the Backyard Brawl just 50
days away, West Virginia released their preseason depth chart. A lot of position battles seems to
be going the way that most West Virginia fans thought they would, including the return of an
experienced offensive line. Below is a breakdown of the first depth chart released by the
Mountaineers at Big 12 Media Day:
Quarterbacks
Garrett Greene or Will “Goose” Crowder or Nicco Marchiol or J.T. Daniels
This position battle is one that will be closely monitored throughout fall camp. Georgia and USC
transfer J.T. Daniels doesn’t only provide valuable playing experience, but also a familiarity with
new Offensive Coordinator, Graham Harrell. Daniels played under Harrell at USC when he was
the offensive coordinator. Greene offers the run/pass option for the offense, with Greene’s
running ability being his strength. Crowder has been the wildcard of the bunch from rumblings
around camp and has produced solid results heading into his second year in the program.
Marchiol is a highly touted recruit from the 2022 class, a lefty that has been labeled as a fierce
competitor.
Prediction: J.T. Daniels will lead the offense in the 2022 season and bring his poise
in the pocket with the understanding of Harrell’s offensive scheme.
Running Back
Tony Mathias
Justin Johnson
No surprise here, as Mathias was the primary back last season when someone not named Leddie
Brown was in the backfield last season. Mathias as fans may remember had a breakout game
against Kansas in the final weeks of the season where he carried the ball 22 times for 118 yards.
Mathias also helped propel the Mountaineer offense in the bowl loss, with 58-yard rushing and a
touchdown. Justin Johnson is a more than serviceable back-up and could see significant touches
now that Clemson transfer Lyn-J Dixon is no longer with the team heading into the season.
Outside Receivers
(X)
Bryce Ford-Wheaton
Cortez Braham
(Y)
Kaden Prather
Preston Fox
Jarel Williams
Bryce Ford-Wheaton was the leading receiver for the Mountaineers in the 2021 season, where he
hauled in 42 catches for 575 yards a season ago to go along with 3 touchdowns. Ford-Wheaton is
a guy that can go up and make contested catches, while also showing speed in the open field to
get away from defenders. Prather was a freshman last year that came in and showed tremendous
promise at the end of last season. A full year of workouts and time together and Prather and
Ford-Wheaton has an opportunity to become one of the best outside receiver tandems in the Big
12 for the 2022 season.
Inside Receivers
(H)
Reese Smith
Graeson Malashevich
(Z)
Sam James
Jeremiah Aaron
Sam James is returning for his Senior season for the Old Gold and Blue and looks to capitalize
on a season high and team leading 5 touchdown catches from last year. James is a receiver that
put a lot of questions about his dropped passes to rest from the 2020 season and looks to become
a match-up nightmare in the slot in 2022. Reese Smith, the sure handed slot receiver looks to
build off a 2021 campaign that seen his playing gradually increase after showing he is not afraid
to make the tough catches. With James getting a lot of attention in the slot, Smith has a chance to
put-up solid numbers this season.
Tight End
Brian Polendey
Mike O’Laughlin
Brian Polendey is a transfer from Colorado State and was primarily used as a blocking tight end
in their 12 personnel. Look for Polendey to have much of the same role for the Mountaineers this season, and if he can come in and make some catches to confuse the defense, it will be very
beneficial for the offense. O’Laughlin was hit with the injury bug in 2021 after missing the first
two games with a lower leg injury and suffering a season ending knee injury against TCU. Out of
the two TE’s, look for O’Laughlin to get a considerable amount of more pass catching
opportunities.
Offensive Line
LT – Wyatt Milum
LG – James Gmiter
C – Zach Frazier
RG – Doug Nester
RT – Brandon Yates or Ja’Quay Hubbard
The offensive line is the elder statesman of the offensive group, with a lot of experience coming
back for the 2022 season. Sure, this group had their ups and downs in the 2021 season, but
individually this group showed promise at their prospective positions. This group just needs to
find that chemistry that will allow them to work together at a high level. If this group can find
that, it will be one of the best groups in the country by season’s end.
Defense
Defensive End
Taj Alston
Sean Martin
Taurus Simmons
Alston is coming back from a very impressive 2021 campaign that garnered five sacks and 11
tackles for loss, which was good enough for second on the team. Last season was a long time
coming for Alston who suffered a season ending injury, two games into his career in 2019.
Alston was able to get back for the bowl win against Army in 2020, but last season was his first
full season in a Mountaineer uniform. Sean Martin is an intriguing player, who seen some action
last season but with the departure of key personnel from last years team, has an opportunity to
see a lot of snaps this season. Martin is quick off the ball and can present some good technique
when given chances.
Defensive Tackle
Dante Stills
Jalen Thornton
After last season, most Mountaineer fans thought that the 2021 season was the last one they
would see a Stills brother anchoring the center of the defensive line. Stills gave Mountaineer fans
an early gift when he decided to skip the NFL Draft and comeback for his senior season. Stills
will look to break the WVU record for tackles for a loss in 2022, which he currently sits in third
all-time, with 43.5.
Nose Guard
Jordan Jefferson
Mike Lockhart
Edward Vesterinen
Jefferson will be the starter with the departure of Ahkeem Mesidor’s departure from the
program, but Jefferson will provide a lot of experience at the position. Jefferson is a guy that can
lineup at either the A-gap or B-gap techniques and get after the QB, while having the ability to
plug holes in the running game. Look for Jefferson to be a breakout star for the Mountaineers.
Mike Lockhart, the transfer from Georgia Tech is a similar player that can play multiple
techniques and is figured to see a similar role this season.
Linebackers
Bandit
Jared Bartlett or Lanell Carr
Both players have started multiple games for the Mountaineers, and it would not shock anyone if
this were true in 2022 season. Both players have different abilities, and I think it will come down
to the defensive gameplan week to week as to which will be the start that given week. Look for
both players to see significant snaps this fall.
Will
Lance Dixon
Exree Loe
Lance Dixon seemed to get a firm grasp on the starting role near the end of last season before
missing the final three game to injury, and don’t look for much to change heading into this
season. Loe will still see a lot of snaps with the schemes and packages that the Mountaineer
defense will look to roll out week-to-week. Dixon finished the season with 36 total tackles and
one tackle for loss. Loe missed the rest of the season last year after a season ending knee injury
against Kansas State, which has caused him to be less than limited in the spring. Loe finished the
season with 38 total tackles, to go along with four tackles for loss and two sacks on the season.
Mike
Lee Kpogba
Tarik Austin-Cave
If you read my recruiting article from earlier in the week, you may remember mentioning Lee
Kpogba. Kpogba is a junior college transfer that originally committed to play in Morgantown,
before ending up at Syracuse for his freshman year. Kpogba ended up at East Mississippi
Community College last season and went on to lead the team with 84 tackles. Look for Kpogba
to hit the ground running for the Mountaineers in the 2022 season, and provide some much-
needed experience, albeit from the junior college ranks, to the WVU linebacking core.
Cornerbacks
Right Corner
Charles Woods
Rashad Ajayi
Charles Woods played a significant role in the West Virginia secondary and with departures
from key members in the offseason, look for Woods to take on an even bigger role in 2022.
Woods, who had two interceptions last year showed he has a knack for finding the ball. Woods
would go on to make an appearance on the Pro Football Focus All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
team for the 2021 season. Ajayi will be another transfer that will bring much needed experience
to a group that was supposed to return a lot of experience for the 2022 season. However, due to a
lot of departures in the transfer portal, Ajayi’s experience at Colorado State will make him the
most experienced guy in the secondary for the Mountaineers. Woods may start for the
Mountaineers, but Ajayi could see more than significant snaps this season, because of what he
brings to the table.
Left Corner
Andrew Wilson-Lamp
Wesley McCormick
Wilson-Lamp and McCormick could be interchangeable pieces for the Mountaineer secondary,
with both players bringing different styles. Wilson-Lamp is a player that brings tremendous
length to the secondary, and he played well in the spring game being able to have a presence
around the ball. McCormick is another transfer that will provide valuable experience to the
secondary. McCormick redshirted last season at James Madison to preserve his final year of
eligibility, which he used to come to Morgantown. McCormick has a knack for breaking up passes and shown that ability for the Duke’s during his time at James Madison. McCormick is
another player that could see significant time due to his experience.
Safeties
SPEAR
Davis Mallinger
Jasir Cox OR Naim Muhammad
This is an intriguing battle, because while Mallinger has gotten most of the time with the first
team throughout camp, many believe that Cox came into the program for this specific role. Cox
should have the role by the time the season roles around, but that does not mean that Mallinger
will not have a role in the defense. Both players will see snaps, but Cox has the experience and
can provide key adjustments on the fly with his time at FCS powerhouse, North Dakota State.
FREE
Aubrey Burks
Hersey McLaurin
If you have paid attention to this past spring, this may not come as a surprise to many as Burks
has gotten most of the time at free safety. McLaurin just got onto campus this January as he is
junior college transfer from Jones County Junior College, and many expect this job to be
McLaurin once the season gets here. Burks has a full year in the system, which is why he was
given the nod heading into the spring, but this could be one of the more intriguing position
battles heading into the season. Who can play well enough to be named the starter?
CAT
Marcis Floyd
Malachi Ruffin
Floyd is a former corner that has been moved to the CAT position this spring. With Floyd’s
speed, this could be very beneficial to stopping those chunk yardage plays down the field with
his ability to close. Floyd was an early candidate to either start or see significant time at corner
for the Mountaineers, but with some transfer portal additions the Mountaineers have moved him.
Murray, a transfer himself, comes from Murray State had 11 starts last season for the Racers while compiling three sacks, four tackles for loss, with three interceptions, and nine pass-
breakups.
Special Teams
Kicker: Casey Legg
Holder: Graeson Malashevich
Punter: Oliver Straw or Kolton McGhee
Kickoffs: Parker Grothaus OR Danny King
Long Snapper: Austin Brinkman
Kick Return: Sam James and Jaylen Anderson
Punt Return: Sam James and Davis Mallinger
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