West Virginia Football: Mountaineers shouldn’t be overlooked in 2021
By Phil Poling
Doege, Brown return for one more go-around
Quarterbacking the West Virginia offense for Neal Brown once again will be Jarret Doege. He played well in 2020, throwing 14 touchdowns to just four interceptions, but his completion percentage dipped compared to his four-game stretch in 2019. There’s also the tiny fact that he was pulled at halftime of the bowl game. But he is the guy. For now.
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Returning with Doege in the backfield will be running back Leddie Brown. And after piling up over 1,200 yards and 11 scores a season ago, expectations are even higher for the Philadelphia native. Tony Mathis and A’Various Sparrow are the two likely backups for Brown, but expect Brown to be the workhorse.
Separating opponents from Doege and Brown is possibly the strongest position group for the Mountaineers – their offensive line. And that’s a complete shift from where they were two years ago, but playing and developing those young guys has finally paid off. We’ll see a line that likely consists of Brandon Yates, James Gmiter, Zach Frazier, Doug Nester, and John Hughes.
As we move further from the trenches, Winston Wright and Bryce Ford-Wheaton aren’t the only weapons at wide receiver for the Mountaineers. This is a deep and talented group, but consistency has been the issue in recent memory. If any of Sam Brown, Sam James, Kaden Prather, or Reese Smith step up and demand extra eyeballs from opposing defenses, West Virginia football could have a sneaky-good offense in 2021.