WVU Football: Three Biggest Questions Entering Fall Camp
In a little over a week, the West Virginia Mountaineers will begin preparation for Penn State and the 2023 season with the start of fall camp. In what is a crucial year for Neal Brown and this coaching staff, there are several questions that need to be answered in the month of August before they make the trip to Happy Valley on September 2nd.
The quarterback situation
Duh, captain obvious. It's the one thing everyone will have their eyes on. When camp opens, this will be the first true quarterback competition between two signal-callers who were recruited to WVU out of high school since Geno Smith and Coley White in 2010 although it was Smith's job seemingly all along.
The assumption is that Garrett Greene is the leader in the race thanks to what he did at the end of last season in beating Oklahoma and his four-touchdown day against Kansas State. He also looked more efficient and comfortable than Nicco Marchiol in the spring game, for what it's worth.
Green's dual-threat ability can add a whole new dimension to this offense that Neal Brown hasn't had since he arrived in 2019. Now it's up to Greene to run away with the competition.
Who steps up at receiver?
West Virginia lost its top four receivers from last season as Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Sam James graduated while Kaden Prather transferred to Maryland and Reese Smith left for Liberty. The staff retooled the room by dipping into the portal themselves landing Devin Carter (NC State), EJ Horton (Marshall), Noah Massey (Angelo State), and Ja'Shaun Poke (Kent State). Throw talented incoming freshman Rodney Gallagher III into the mix as well.
The bodies are there. Now will anyone step up and become the go-to guy for Greene/Marchiol? Is there an All-Big 12 caliber talent in that room? The Mountaineers need a DUDE at receiver and not just a bunch of guys. If they don't have that, it takes a direct hit to the run game.
Is the depth improved in the secondary?
The back end of WVU's defense last year was atrocious at times. When Charles Woods went down in the Backyard Brawl, it all went down hill. There was a clear issue with communication and that's bound to happen when guys are either playing out of position or playing in roles that they aren't quite ready for. Jordan Lesley added four veterans in the secondary this offseason, but three of them are making the jump up to Power Five ball - Anthony Wilson (Georgia Southern), Keyshawn Cobb (Buffalo), and Montre Miller (Kent State). Can they be just as good in the Big 12 as they were at their previous school?
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