Top Five Most Exciting Players to Watch in WVU Football History

Take a trip down memory lane to examine some of the most electrifying players in West Virginia football history.

The West Virginia football team has experienced a storied history with various players that have made names for themselves throughout their time in the old gold and blue. Through the years, there have been a number of exciting players that always kept Mountaineer fans on the edge of their seats. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and rank the top five most exciting West Virginia football players of all time.

No. 5 (QB) Geno Smith

There may not have been a more explosive quarterback in the NCAA in 2011 than Smith who earned the No. 4 best performance by a quarterback in a bowl game in the Orange Bowl. Perhaps Smith’s most exciting moment came against Marshall in 2010 when the quarterback connected with Will Johnson in the final seconds of regulation to knot the ballgame up with 12 seconds remaining.

Smith’s Orange Bowl performance in 2012 saw him complete 32 of 43 passes for 407 yards while also throwing six touchdowns and rushing for one touchdown in the 70-33 victory over Clemson.

No. 4 (RB) Steve Slaton

One of the greatest Mountaineer running backs of all-time was named 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl MVP after rushing for three touchdowns and 204 yards on the day. Slaton also totaled five rushing touchdowns as well as his first receiving touchdown of the year against Louisville earlier in the same season. The six-touchdown performance marked a WVU and Big East record.

If those games aren’t enough evidence to prove Slaton was one of the most explosive and exciting players in Mountaineer history, the running back ranks fourth in WVU career rushing touchdowns with 33, third in career rushing yards (2,872), as well as third in 100-yard games (15).

No. 3 (QB) Major Harris

The second most exciting West Virginia quarterback of all-time, Harris ranks fifth in total yards by a Mountaineer with 7,334 yards and was one of the first college quarterbacks to throw for 5,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in his collegiate career.

One of the best ever plays made by Harris in Morgantown came against Penn State in 1988 when the quarterback faked out an entire Penn State defense and left seven Nittany Lions whiffing on a broken-down touchdown play and one of the most memorable plays in Mountaineer history.

No. 2 (QB) Pat White

The most electrifying quarterback in Mountaineer history was Pat White - who played out all four years in the old gold and blue and recorded 35 victories in the process which is good for first overall in program history.

One of White's most exciting games came against Pitt in 2006 in the Backyard Brawl in which White went for 424 total yards on the day, which tied for most yards of total offense in a single game in school history. White was quite the rusher as well and set the record for most single-game rushing yards by a quarterback in Big East history when he went for 247 against Syracuse in 2006.

No. 1 (WR) Tavon Austin

Austin made a name for himself on a number of big time explosive plays. Austin’s best game with the Mountaineers came against No. 12 Oklahoma in 2012 when the wide receiver set a school record with 344 rushing yards on 21 carries as well as taking eight kick returns for 146 yards and totaling 572 all-purpose yards on his big night.

Austin set an Orange Bowl record with four touchdown catches in West Virginia’s huge 2012 bowl game win over Clemson. Austin's senior season saw him grab 114 total receptions for 1,289 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns to go along with his 15 total touchdowns on the year. 

These five electric players are just a few of the pieces of West Virginia football's most exciting players and the Mountaineers storied history when it comes to making big time plays in big time moments.