West Virginia Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017

The West Virginia football team could compete for the Big 12 Championship in 2017, but they’ll need some new players to step up.

As one of the most overlooked teams in the Big 12 in 2017, the West Virginia Mountaineers have a lot to prove. Head coach Dana Holgorsen has West Virginia on the right track after his first 10-win season with the program. The Skyler Howard era is officially over at the quarterback position.

West Virginia has one of their best quarterbacks in years with Florida transfer Will Grier. An offense that had a big 2016 looks even better in 2017. Running back Justin Crawford is a tremendous complimentary piece to Grier.

We’ll see early in the year how good West Virginia is. They face the Virginia Tech Hokies in Week 1. The game against Virginia Tech is on Sunday, Sept. 3 in prime time on ABC. The eyes of the college football world will be squarely on Grier and the Moutaineers.

A Big 12 owned by the Oklahoma schools in the last two years is something for both Holgorsen and West Virginia to overcome. Kansas State also presents a tough test for the Mountaineers.

Holgorsen got a big extension in the offseason and we’ll see how it works. A down season in 2016 could have meant the end of the road for Holgorsen in Morgantown. Measurable progress needs to be made in 2017.

Other names to watch for West Virginia this year includes receiver Ka’Raun White, linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton, and defensive back Kyzir White. Those three are more established players for West Virginia.

The Mountaineers carry a No. 20 ranking in the Amway Coaches Poll into the season. If a few players can step up in 2017 they can reach even bigger heights.

Now, let’s take a look at five potential breakout stars for the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2017.