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West Virginia football: 5 biggest surprises from the 2019 season

By Phil Poling

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Neal Brown watches his team play against the Missouri Tigers in the fourth quarter at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Neal Brown watches his team play against the Missouri Tigers in the fourth quarter at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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MORGANTOWN, WV – OCTOBER 05: Sam James #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers dives to make a 44-yard touchdown reception behind B.J. Foster #25 of the Texas Longhorns in the first quarter at Mountaineer Field on October 5, 2019 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV – OCTOBER 05: Sam James #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers dives to make a 44-yard touchdown reception behind B.J. Foster #25 of the Texas Longhorns in the first quarter at Mountaineer Field on October 5, 2019 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

4. Sam James

Redshirt freshman Sam James was one of the most needed surprises for the Mountaineers in 2019. They’d lost their top three targets from a year ago in Gary Jennings, David Sills, and Marcus Simms, but also quarterback Will Grier and tight end Trevon Wesco. This made James an obvious contributor, but what happened next stunned plenty.

MORE: West Virginia’s Studs & Duds from the 2019 season

James managed a team-high in catches (69) and receiving yards (677) while adding two receiving touchdowns. And those numbers would’ve been better if he didn’t deal with so many drops. With room for improvement, James was the No. 1 option all year for a team that needed a playmaker. He wasn’t LeBron James-great, but Sam did about as well as anyone could’ve hoped after being thrust into such a large role so early.

The future is bright in Morgantown for many reasons, and James is an obvious one. If Neal Brown’s capable of surrounding him with talent, while also getting more out of the soon-to-be sophomore, the West Virginia offense will look vastly different in 2020.

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