WVU Reveals Starting Right Tackle for Week 1

The West Virginia offensive line is now set heading into the big clash with Penn State.

Former walk-on and Morgantown, West Virginia native Nick Malone has been crowned the winner of the position battle at right tackle. This was expected to be the case, but had not been announced prior to Neal Brown stating so Thursday night on his weekly radio show.

Malone beat out talented Jacksonville State transfer Xavier Bausley for the starting job, but the newcomer is expected to be rotated in here and there to give Malone a spell.

Last season, Malone really emerged as someone the coaching staff relied on in short-yardage or max protection situations. As Brown stated during his show, he's always been a little bit on the lighter side for an offensive lineman but you wouldn't know it by how he plays. He's really strong, plays with good technique, and his athleticism allows him to recover easier than most.

Brown stated he feels eight offensive linemen in total are game ready, however, he is unsure if all eight will play in this week's contest against Penn State. Much of that will be determined by the flow of the game. The starting o-line from left to right will be Wyatt Milum-Tomas Rimac-Brandon Yates-Ja'Quay Hubbard-Nick Malone. I would assume the other three that are game-ready are tackle Johnny Williams IV and guards Sullivan Weidman and Nick Krahe.

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