All offseason long, the national media have brutally graded West Virginia’s roster and set expectations extremely low for Rich Rodriguez in his first year back at the helm, and rightfully so. Over 70 newcomers will be on the roster this season, which means chemistry is almost non-existent heading into August. The top-line talent WVU has should be good enough to compete in the Big 12, but the depth appears to be the coaching staff’s biggest concern. If the starting units can stay healthy and gel early in the season, they should be in a good position to reach a bowl game. David Cobb of CBS Sports recently graded each year one roster of each Power Four program with a new coach. He has WVU second with a B, checking in right behind North Carolina, and ahead of Wake Forest, UCF, Purdue, and Stanford. “Rodriguez’s revamped roster features several productive defensive additions from the portal, including 2024 AAC Defensive Player of the Year Jimmori Robinson at defensive end. Robinson led the AAC with 10.5 sacks last season at UTSA and is one of several transfer-up pieces who will determine the ceiling of a unit led by ex-Oklahoma defensive coordinator Zac Alley. Where the talent — or perhaps money — appears to run out is along the offensive line. If the Mountaineers can figure that group out, don’t doubt Rodriguez’s ability to produce a good offense. But the skill position groups aren’t talented enough to overcome poor line play. However, top QB candidates Nicco Marchiol and Jaylen Henderson are both mobile, which should come in handy if and when things break down.” I will disagree on one thing here…the skill groups aren’t as bad as Cobb believes. The backfield is in pretty good shape with Jahiem White returning and Jaylan Knighton (SMU transfer) and Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa transfer) now in the mix. At wide receiver, Cam Vaughn is a star in the making, and they have some veterans who have performed well at the lower levels, including Jeff Weimer, Logan Ramper, Justin Smith-Brown, etc., and also have Jaden Bray back and healthy. The receiver group is a pretty big question mark, but they have enough capable bodies in that room to find a few answers. As far as the offensive line goes, yeah, that might be a struggle. Ranking All 16 Starting Quarterbacks in the Big 12 From Worst to First West Virginia Scoops Up Another 2026 Offensive Line Commit Ross Hodge Sounds Like a Coach Who Plans to Stick Around in Morgantown Where Were the Pitt Fans? PNC Park Crowd Sings Along to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.