MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia head coach Neal Brown wouldn’t go as far as to name a starting quarterback Monday.
Brown also did not name the Mountaineers’ top punter, but offer insight into the team’s plan at several spots, including offensive line, tailback and in the secondary.
An ongoing battle to start at right tackle between Brandon Yates and Ja’Quay Hubbard remains undecided, though according to Brown, both will play against the Panthers. He also didn’t rule out the possibility of five players comprising a front that wouldn’t include Yates or Hubbard, with that scenario likely involving Doug Nester moving from right guard to right tackle and Jordan White taking over at right guard.
“We’re going to play seven guys,” Brown said. “Who’s going to roll out there first, we’re probably going to let that go up until game week, but we’re going to play seven guys for sure up there.”
Wyatt Milum is the starter at left tackle, with James Gmiter at left guard and Zach Frazier at center. Milum split time at right tackle last season, while Yates manned left tackle, before the two switched sides in the offseason.
With Brown yet to name a starting right tackle, it remains to be seen if White’s versatility increases the likelihood he becomes a fixture up front.
“Jordan White can play both guards and center. Yates can play both tackle spots. Hubbard can play guard and tackle. Nester can play guard and tackle,” Brown said. “So we’ve gotten a bunch of reps in all those areas. We’re going to play seven. All seven of them deserve to play and that includes Jordan White.”
At 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, Nester is listed as the heaviest lineman among the aforementioned seven. He has been used exclusively at right guard over his first three college seasons, the first two of which he spent at Virginia Tech.
White, at 298 pounds, weighs the least of the group.
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Of West Virginia’s four tailbacks in the mix for playing time, only Tony Mathis has extensive action in the past.
That figures to change this season, with sophomore Justin Johnson, redshirt freshman Jaylen Anderson and true freshman CJ Donaldson vying for playing time and touches.
“We’re trying to figure out how exactly we’ll do the running back reps, but the guys that have been the most consistent have been Justin and Tony,” Brown said. “CJ gives us an opportunity for a different type of back.”
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Donaldson is a converted tight end and has been praised by Brown and other members of the Mountaineers’ staff for the impression he’s made in preseason camp.
“He’s proven himself on practice. We want to grow his role as we go through,” Brown said. “Going into it, will he be in a featured role? I don’t know. He’s going to play. His role will increase as he has success and gains some experience.”
Johnson carried 24 times for 90 yards in his true freshman campaign. Ten of those rushes came in his first game in Morgantown against Long Island, while another five occurred in a Guaranteed Rate Bowl loss to Minnesota.
“He’s put on some good weight and added strength,” Brown said. “Going back to the winter and then the summer to follow that up, he was competitive in both those areas. He’s gotten faster. He hit a long 60-plus [yard] run in the scrimmage last Thursday, so that was good to see.
“We liked him in high school. Sometimes it just takes guys a little bit longer. He did some good things. We didn’t play very well in the bowl game offensively, but on his carries, he did some nice things. The bowl prep was good for him as well. He’s going to get some carries and be ready to play. He’s going to surprise some people.”
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Brown praised cornerbacks Wesley McCormick and Rashad Ajayi, spear Jasir Cox and cat safety Marcis Floyd for their performances in last week’s scrimmage.
Despite each of the four being transfers in their first season at West Virginia, they’re likely to factor heavily into the defensive plan come September 1.
Of McCormick, Ajayi and Cox, Brown said, “All three of those guys will play and play a lot in the game.”
Floyd, a Murray State transfer, is the presumed starter at cat safety after moving from cornerback, where he played during his four years with the Racers.
“In the secondary, who exactly is going to be the first group is probably to be determined,” Brown said. “We have a battle for who’s really going to play behind Marcis Floyd. We have a good idea who we’re going to play. As far as naming a starter at those, we’ll let that play out during this mock [game] week.”
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Brown said he will name a starting quarterback before the renewal of the Backyard Brawl, though he wasn’t ready to Monday.
“Quarterback wise, I’m not going to announce anything today,” Brown said. “I feel really good about present and our future. We’re working through that. I’m not trying to be coy about it. We’ll announce a starter before the game. We’re not to that point yet.”
He did offer his observations of each of the team’s top four signal-callers, including presumed starter JT Daniels, a junior who played two seasons at USC and two others at Georgia.
“JT’s experienced and very mature. His timing has improved,” Brown said. “The summer workouts are so different as far as throwing full speed. We’re able to do some OTAs but you’re not throwing versus a defense. They do that on their own. So he’s just had these 14 or 15 practices to really get his timing down, and you can see that improving.”
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Kolton McGhee and true freshman Oliver Straw continue to battle for the right to be the top punter.
Brown isn’t sure he’ll settle on a starter by week’s end.
“We’re going to let that play out. We may let that play out through our last full speed practice on Monday, a week from today,” he said.
McGhee punted nine times for the Mountaineers in 2020 and averaged 39.7 yards per boot. He did not punt last season.
Straw enrolled at WVU in January. A native of Melbourne, Australia, he is capable of kicking with either foot.