Wyatt Milum is in a 'Dog Fight' for the Starting Right Tackle Job

The talented true freshman could play his way into a starting role.

Over half of the West Virginia starting line is locked up with Brandon Yates at left tackle, James Gmiter at left guard, and Zach Frazier at center. Doug Nester is likely to win the starting job at right guard but does have some competition from redshirt freshman, Jordan White. However, right tackle is completely up for grabs at the moment according to offensive line coach Matt Moore and it's a fierce battle between Parker Moorer (R-So.) and Wyatt Milum (Fr.)

"They're in a dog fight right now. They're splitting reps. They split the scrimmage. Up until the scrimmage, Wyatt had been getting all of the 2nd-team reps and Parker had been getting the 1st-team reps. Parker has gotten way better and he's continuing to work, he's had a great offseason but it's going to be a dog fight to see who is going to start at that right tackle spot."

Milum was the top recruit in the Mountaineers' 2021 recruiting class having held offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and a host of others. In the end, the relentless pursuit of the WVU coaching staff won out and he decided to stay home and play for the Mountaineers. 

So far, Milum has been as good as advertised. He has the size, strength, technique, and IQ to be able to not only contribute as a true freshman but potentially beat out Moorer for that starting job. A year ago, Zach Frazier started as a true freshman at guard and evolved into one of the most reliable linemen the Mountaineers had on the roster. Neal Brown and Matt Moore are not concerned with playing true freshmen as long as they have proven that they can handle the task.

Moore says that Milum has a lot of the same characteristics that Frazier showed last fall.

"I think they're very similar personality-wise. Like, they don't get rattled about much, they're very competitive, they understand the game, so they're very similar people. When you put 65,000 people out there, I mean, I didn't know what Zach was going to do either. He went in his first game and y'all saw him play and he played really well. I feel like Wyatt will do the same but we will see."

The transition from high school to college is a difficult one for any position but even more so on the guys in the trenches. It's so physically demanding and oftentimes, true freshmen need a couple of years in the weight room to get acclimated. Wyatt Milum is the exception. From a physical standpoint, Milum has everything an offensive line coach dreams of having. Now, it's just about letting the game come to him.

"The thing I love about Wyatt is he plays with a motor. He plays hard, he's extremely athletic, he stays in good football position all the time The game is fast for him right now and he's getting challenged by some really good defensive linemen but I think he's up for it. He's a guy that's definitely going to contribute this year."

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