Freshmen RBs Pushing Jaylen Anderson for No. 3 Spot on Depth Chart

Trae'von Dunbar and Diore Hubbard are picking up things quickly and are making an impact.

Schuyler Callihan | Aug 13, 2024

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West Virginia Mountaineers

There's no competition for the starting running back job or RB2 role on West Virginia's offensive depth chart. CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White are viewed as co-starters and will each get their fair share of touches throughout the course of the 2024 season. The guys behind them are the real story.

Jaylen Anderson had a disappointing sophomore season and could have very easily hit the transfer portal after not seeing much playing time in the final month of the year. He did what most kids wouldn't do in his situation...stick it out. Injuries happen all the time and at a moments notice, he could be thrusted into a clear backup role. But first things first, he's got to win that job.

On Monday, head coach Neal Brown mentioned that freshmen running backs Trae'von Dunbar and Diore Hubbard have shown some things in the first couple weeks of camp despite receiving limited opportunities. There's a lot of buzz about these two coming out of the football building and there's a strong belief that one of the two freshmen will likely play a role in the backfield this fall, possibly both. The more depth running backs coach Chad Scott can create, the fresher White and Donaldson will be throughout the entirety of a game.

But is there really a chance one of these freshmen beats out Anderson for the RB3 title? It's possible.

“Up to this point, they’ve both shown the ability to be explosive with the ball in their hands," Scott said. "(Trae’von) Dunbar, I mean, he’s explosive. Diore (Hubbard) is explosive. They’ve both had long runs. But right now, they’re eager, they’re leaning, they’re picking up on it.”

Scott has a track record for developing backs at a fast pace and getting them game ready. That being said, he's still very high on what Jaylen Anderson can do.

“Having Jaylen Anderson, that’s huge for us because he’s a great talent. He had a good spring. I’m looking forward to seeing him (grow). He showed the ability to be consistent throughout this fall. He’s talented and that’s a huge luxury to have.”

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