Who is West Virginia's Most Underrated Player?

These Mountaineers are not getting enough love heading into the 2024 season.

Schuyler Callihan | Aug 16, 2024

Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

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West Virginia Mountaineers

West Virginia's roster is loaded with star talent (by WVU's standards) on both sides of the ball, and even special teams. But there are more than a handful of players that don't quite get the recognition they deserve.

Who are they?

In this week's fan poll, I asked who the most underrated player was on the roster giving the following options: WR Preston Fox, DL Edward Vesterinen, C Brandon Yates, and TE Treylan Davis. It just so happens that they finished in that exact order of receiving votes. Fox won the poll pretty comfortably with 41.3%, Vesterinen checks in at second with 30.7%, Yates in third with 19%, and Davis finished fourth with 9%.

Fox is without question the most underrated player on the roster, in my opinion, so I'll agree with the fans. He catches pretty much everything thrown his way and makes the difficult ones look easy. I'm sure Jaden Bray and Traylon Ray will get more targets, but when the Mountaineers need to move the sticks, look for Fox to be who Garrett Greene looks to.

I threw Vesterinen in there as a bit of a wrinkle because although he probably doesn't get the attention during game broadcasts, most WVU fans realize the value he brings on the defense. I would argue the same could be said with Yates, who has played a ton of football and started at several positions. If it were a redshirt freshman or sophomore that had no starting experience, I think there would be greater concern with the center position heading into the season.

Davis would have been my second choice because he truly flies under the radar, living in the rather large shadow of Kole Taylor. Sure, Davis doesn't pose the same threat in the passing game, but he's capable of making some plays. He's improved that aspect of his game each year while also remaining the top blocking tight end on the roster. Davis is just as important to the Mountaineers' success on the ground as anyone lining up across the offensive line.

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