What WVU's Depth Looks Like at Receiver Following Hudson Clement's Departure

A lot of question marks at receiver for WVU entering the 2025 season.

West Virginia University receiver Rodney Gallagher / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

With Rich Rodriguez back at the helm, it's very unlikely West Virginia is going to sling the ball around the yard 35 or 40 times a game. That said, you still need to be able to throw it here and there to be able to complement the run game and keep the defense on their heels.

On Thursday, West Virginia officially lost its top receiver from the 2024 season, Hudson Clement, who is transferring to Illinois. With Justin Robinson out of eligibility, DayDay Farmer off to UCF, Traylon Ray in the portal, and Clement heading to Illinois, the Mountaineer receiving corps will look quite a bit different in 2025.

So, who is in the room? Who could they add? Let's break it all down.

The returners

Jaden Bray, Jarel Williams, Brandon Rehmann, Rodney Gallagher III, Preston Fox, TJ Johnson, and Dom Collins.

Of this group, you really only have three players with experience - Bray, Gallagher, and Fox - none of which have put up big numbers...yet.

Jaden Bray had a tremendous spring and fall camp but it never translated to the regular season for whatever reason. He was banged up for much of the season, which certainly played a factor.

Gallagher certainly has the highest ceiling of anyone in this crop of players. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands despite being used countless times on predictable jetsweeps. That's not on him. That was on the coaching staff. He's in store for a big season in 2025.

Preston Fox, assuming he sticks around, relieves the stress of handling punts/kicks, but can he offer more at receiver? Time will tell. TJ Johnson and Jarel Williams are more possession receivers who have been around for a while and need to make a move. Dom Collins has the speed that Rich Rod is looking for in his offense, so he'll be one to keep a close eye on. Brandon Rehmann is an intriguing young player who has the skill set to develop into a top two or three receiver on the roster within the next two years.

Incoming freshmen

Jalil Hall and Tyshawn Dues

Aside from the intermediate and underneath stuff, Hall can really stretch the field vertically. He's a quarterback's best friend in that 50/50 balls are more like 60/40 balls. Does a great job positioning his body on those deep balls and fades to the back pylon while having an awareness of the sideline and/or back of the end zone. There's a lot to like here.

Dues' speed will get him on the field early in his career on special teams, potentially being used as a punt/kick returner. I won't rule out the possibility of him seeing some action on offense, but it probably won't happen right away. He has home run ability, and it's pretty evident on tape. Most of his catches come via go-balls, where he just uses his speed to separate and make the big splash play.

Portal commits

Jarod Bowie (Jacksonville State) and Oran Singleton (Eastern Michigan)

Bowie got his start at Concord and caught Rich Rodriguez's attention, bringing the Martinsburg kid down with him to Jacksonville State. For much of the season, Bowie was a non-factor in the Gamecocks' offense, but he had a breakout game in their bowl against Ohio, reeling in four receptions for 105 yards. He'll likely serve as a depth option in the slot.

Singleton was Eastern Michigan's leader in receptions with 62 and was about 30 yards off of being the team leader in receiving yards, finishing the season with 639 to go along with two touchdowns.

Portal targets

David Pantelis (Yale)

Troy Stellato (Clemson)

Cam Thompson (Northern Illinois)

Cyrus Traugh (Youngstown State)

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