Rodney Gallagher III Switches Jersey Number

The West Virginia sophomore receiver will sport a new look in 2024.

West Virginia sophomore receiver Rodney Gallagher in drills during the second day of spring practice / Christopher Hall

If you're looking for Rodney Gallagher III in a No. 2 jersey this fall, you'll be looking around for quite a while. The sophomore receiver is switching his number to 24, according to the official team site.

Why?

Well, this spring, the coaching staff threw Gallagher on to the defensive side of the ball to play some nickel and he actually played it pretty well to the point where he could see a few snaps per game there when the season comes around. There's still a lot of time between now and the start of the season, so although he's listed as No. 24 for now, that is subject to change. But rocking No. 2 seems unlikely due to senior safety Aubrey Burks already owning that number.

In college football two players can wear the same number as long as they're not on the field at the same time. Burks is going to play near 100% of the team's defensive snaps, so when Gallagher is out there in obvious passing situations, so will Burks. Numbers 13, 14, 16, and 19 are all available on both sides of the ball, so Gallagher could change again to a number that doesn't look as odd for a receiver, if he chooses.

During spring ball, head coach Neal Brown said that it was "to be determined" if Gallagher would see reps there in the fall. By switching his jersey number, that's an indication that he will continue to play both sides. Brown did make sure to note that he is an offensive player first.

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