2024 Preseason WVU Football Awards & Superlatives

Predicting which players on the WVU football roster wiill stand out.

Schuyler Callihan | Aug 23, 2024

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West Virginia Mountaineers

Are you ready for some football? I know I am. The good thing is, this will be the last weekend without West Virginia football until their bye week in late September.

I've had a lot of people messaging me asking for thoughts on certain key players on both sides of the ball, so I threw together this preseason awards and superlatives article to help give a full answer as to what I'm expecting to see this fall.

Let's dive in.

Rookie (Freshman) of the Year

The pick: WR DayDay Farmer

The reason why: I understand West Virginia has a ton of guys in the receiving room to go to - Jaden Bray, Traylon Ray, Rodney Gallagher III, Hudson Clement, Preston Fox, Justin Robinson - but Farmer is a unique talent and they will find a way to get him involved. I could see a very similar year in terms of production for Farmer as Jahiem White had last season. See some action here and there and emerge as a serious playmaker come November.

Offensive Player of the Year

The pick: QB Garrett Greene

The reason why: Greene will build on a strong first year as the starting quarterback seeing an uptick in completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns all while still being a dynamic threat with his legs. I'm well aware of Nicco Marchiol's strides, but this team will only go as far as Greene takes them. If he stays healthy, everything is on the table.

Defensive Player of the Year

The pick: S Aubrey Burks

The reason why: This was a tough one. I had about five to six names run through my head before I settled on Burks being the guy. I really like the idea behind bringing Burks closer to the action by moving him to spear. It's going to shore up an area of the defense that has been a constant struggle plus it will allow him to be more of a playmaker. A huge year incoming for the senior defensive back.

Team MVP

The pick: QB Garrett Greene

The reason why: I don't need to go too deep into detail with this, especially after handing No. 6 the Offensive Player of the Year award. But Greene's leadership and grit is what puts him above all other options. He is the heart and soul of this team and when the quarterback is that guy for you, typically you're setting yourself up for a good season.

Best Transfer Pickup

The pick: WR Jaden Bray

The reason why: You probably saw this one coming from a mile away, didn't you? The former Oklahoma State receiver has done nothing but turn heads since landing in Morgantown. Big play after big play in practice, making several contested catches has me thinking he'll eventually be WR1. Northwestern cornerback transfer Garnett Hollis Jr. comes in a close second place finish.

Mr. Underappreciated

The pick: WR Preston Fox

The reason why: Every time folks get to talking about the Mountaineer receivers, they tend to leave Fox out of the conversation. Even I'm guilty of it from time to time. It's not by design, it's just so easy to get caught up in the young pups who burst onto the scene. Fox is as important as anyone on the offensive side of the ball and could end up being the go-to target in got to have it situations.

Best Assistant Coach

The pick: Matt Moore

The reason why: Everyone outside of the state just assumes the West Virginia offensive line is going to take a massive step back due to the losses of Zach Frazier and Doug Nester who are now in the NFL. I don't see it. Moore has done a phenomenal job with this unit getting guys ready to play and establishing depth. The o-line will still be the straw that stirs the Mountaineer drink.

Top Athletic Freak

The pick: LB Ty French

The reason why: I'm not picking French solely based off of him making Bruce Feldman's Freak List, but it definitely helped his cause. He's not the biggest backer in terms of height or length, but man, this dude is strong and fast off the edge. Opposing Big 12 tackles are going to get annoyed seeing No. 47 throughout the span of a game.

Most Likely to Have a Breakout Season

The pick: DL Sean Martin

The reason why: It feels like Martin has been a candidate to breakout every year since he's been at WVU. This is it. This is the year. Martin needs to do everything he can to improve his draft stock in his last go around and I believe that he will.

The Dude From Out of Nowhere

The pick: DL Asani Redwood

The reason why: Redwood is making his way back from an injury, so he may not be highly utilized right out of the gate. Even if he is, I don't expect much in the first few games. However, the longer the season goes on, the better he will be, adding to West Virginia's pass rush.