Bilal Marshall 'Feels Strongly' About These Eight WVU Wide Receivers

A progress report on the Mountaineer receivers you'll see on the field this fall.

Schuyler Callihan | Aug 15, 2024

Christopher Hall

In this story:

West Virginia Mountaineers

Heading into last season, wide receiver was a major question mark for West Virginia.

Two of the three receivers expected to be toward the top of the depth chart, Cortez Braham Jr. and Jeremiah Aaron left the team just a few weeks into the season, forcing the Mountaineer coaching staff's hand playing a trio of freshmen - Hudson Clement, Traylon Ray, and Rodney Gallagher III - in addition to NC State transfer Devin Carter and former Preston Fox. Clement entered the season as a walk-on and by the Backyard Brawl in Week 3, he became a regular starter.

This time around, the expectations for that room are on a whole other level, thanks to the play of the returning youngsters and the four guys that were added in the offseason from the transfer portal and the high school ranks.

On Wednesday, wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall met with the media and stated that he feels "very strongly" about eight receivers. He broke down where each of those eight guys are at and what you can expect from them in 2024.

The core four - Traylon Ray, Hudson Clement, Rodney Gallagher III, Preston Fox

“Those guys have made tremendous strides in all facets of their play ability. I think they all had strong summers which have allowed them to do that. (Traylon) Ray is playing at a really high level right now. He’s gotten bigger, he’s gotten faster, he’s gotten stronger. (Preston) Fox is playing a really high level right now. Coach (Chad) Scott’s got a saying right now, when in doubt find the Fox. Just the way he’s been playing, he’s been so reliable. (Hudson) is playing at a high level right now as well and high effort and he’s winning versus man at a high rate, making some competitive catches. And Rodney (Gallagher) in the spring, I told you guys he wasn’t where I wanted him as a route runner and he has made significant strides in that realm.”

Transfers - Jaden Bray and Justin Robinson

“(Jaden) Bray has been here since the spring and he’s done a phenomenal job. And he only started playing football if I’m not mistaken as a junior in high school. It’s still a lot of newness for him to learn how to play the position but he’s just a freak athlete. The one thing I love about the man is that he just plays so hard every snap. He really lays it down on the line for his guys and you can cover up a lot of things when you just play with high effort.”

“Justin Robinson, obviously he got here this summer. Really big target, really long. Big body. 218 pounds. His biggest thing right now is just learning how to strain through some things and play hard and play to the standard of our room. Because if you turn on the tape and those four guys that played last year, they played really hard and that’s the standard in this room. If he learns how to do that, he’ll be a really good player because he’s got all the skillsets. We just got to get that extra umph from him.”

Freshmen - DayDay Farmer, Brandon Rehmann

“Brandon (Rehmann) comes from a highly-rated high school and they do things the right way there and they have a really good developmental program. So, coming into college, same thing with Josiah Trotter, they know how to practice like college players. They know how to play hard. I don’t have to tell Brandon, go! He knows how to play hard. For him, it’s just a learning curve of learning the offense. Still learning some things how to play receiver at a collegiate level, but he’s going to be a really good player in the future. I can see it in him right now. He has the skillset to do it. I like where he’s at right now. It’ll be interesting to see how this thing unfolds throughout the year, but he is competing every single day.”

“DayDay, obviously you guys have seen his tape. He is very electric. He can stop on a dime and leave you two nickels. That’s what’s so exciting about him is that when he gets the ball in his hands, like, hold your breath because he’s going to make the first person miss. He’s got a good skillset, but what he’s got to become is become a cleaner route runner. I think sometimes he wants to make so many moves that he trips himself up sometimes. I’m never going to take away his creativity because a lot of people, like 99% of the people who have walked through this building don’t have the creativity he has. He’s just got to know when to and when not to, situational football. He’s going to be a really good player.”

Depth option - Jarel Williams

“Jarel, he does a really good job of being versatile. He can play all three positions. I told him before the season, you got to be ready to roll at any position and do it well. And that’s who he is. He’s playing hard, he’s making some plays, and that’s what excited me about him. He’s going to be a core guy that we’re going to need to be there for depth.”

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI