West Virginia Hoping to Have CB Jacolby Spells in Week 1

The Mountaineer cornerback continues to make his way back from an injury.

When the West Virginia defense rolls out onto the field on Saturday, they'll have transfers Garnett Hollis Jr. (Northwestern) and Ayden Garnes (Duquesne) manning down the two starting corner spots. Charlotte transfer Dontez Fagan will also see some action, but the Mountaineers are hoping Jacolby Spells can be cleared and feel comfortable to play.

During the spring, Spells suffered an upper body injury that had him out of action for quite some time. The initial thinking was that his recovery could spill over into the first few weeks of the season, but he's made a lot of progress and has played well in practice in a limited fashion.

On his weekly radio show on Thursday night, head coach Neal Brown said he hopes Spells is able to go, but if not this week, he should be good to go in Week 2 vs. Albany. TJ Crandall. a transfer from Colorado State will be in the mix as well.

In 20 career games, Spells has totaled 21 tackles, two passes defended, one interception, and 0.5 tackles for loss. His biggest highlight as a Mountaineer came in the win over Virginia Tech in 2022 where he picked off quarterback Grant Wells and returned it for a touchdown.

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