Two Promising Underclassmen Nearing Return to Field for WVU

The Mountaineers might take a look at a couple of youngsters down the final stretch of the season.

WVU C Kyle Altuner - WVU Athletics Communications

The bye week comes an ideal time for West Virginia as they look to get a little healthier before making the trip to Cincinnati next week.

The off week also gives them a chance to take a longer look at the younger guys, who will have gone through a pair of scrimmage-like settings this week. Some of those players could play themselves into more playing time while a few others may position themselves to make their respective season debuts.

During his press conference earlier this week, WVU head coach Neal Brown mentioned that two underclassmen in particular may see some action down the stretch.

“(Freshman center) Kyle Altuner will be back. He put on pads for the first time last week. I believe he’s going to be able to do some of our Monday night football stuff this week, so excited about that," Brown stated. "I think (defensive lineman) Corey McIntyre is going to be a really good player here. He would be in our rotation right now. He played well in the spring. Corey is probably about two more weeks away, but they both could be active in November.”

Altuner was one of the highest-rated recruits in the Mountaineers' 2024 signing class, but in my opinion, he's the cream of the crop. Had he been healthy, I truly believe he would've pushed Brandon Yates for his starting job at some point through the first eight games, especially when the snaps were a serious issue against Iowa State.

He chose the Mountaineers over offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, NC State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, and others. In short, the kid is a legit All-Big 12 talent.

As Brown mentioned, McIntyre has been someone this staff has been really excited about. He arrived last season in pretty good shape and was probably a little further along than they expected him to be. If it weren't for an incredibly deep defensive line room last year, he would have played more of a factor and wouldn't have redshirted.

Although there's only a third of the regular season left to play, the Mountaineers could surely use another body in that defensive line rotation. Edward Vesterinen was officially ruled out for the rest of the year and T.J. Jackson and Hammond Russell IV have been banged up the last few weeks, but have continued to play through it.

McIntyre is, of course, the son of former West Virginia linebacker Corey McIntyre Sr., who played in Morgantown from 1998-2001. In 40 career games, he totaled 171 tackles, nine tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and a sack. He went on to play fullback in the NFL for eight years.

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