Looking at the tight end situation for West Virginia ahead of Baylor

Last week against Texas, tight end Mike O’Laughlin went down with yet another injury. With the road ahead uncertain, West Virginia is looking to alternatives at the tight end position heading into Baylor. 

The injury bug has not been kind to O’Laughlin, who in 2018 sustained a knee injury that would keep him out for the majority of the season, and then last season he would face another season-ending knee injury. 

According to West Virginia head coach Neal Brown, it is unclear if O’Laughlin will be ready for the Thursday night game against Baylor.

“Mike (O’Laughlin), I will kind of update later in the week,” Brown said.

Brown said two other tight ends who have not seen as much action this season as O’Laughlin are viable replacements for the Mountaineers. 

Brown believes that Treylan Davis is someone who has not touched the field much, but can step in and produce right away.

“We have confidence in him, he’ll play, and I don’t think our fans or anybody following us will really notice a difference when Treylan is in the game,” Brown said.

Last year Davis was a freshman who would see action in four games and played a total of 29 plays which included 21 on special teams.

Despite the lack of in-game experience, Brown likes what he has seen from Davis so far this year.

“He played 15 plays against Texas, and I think he did a nice job, and there are some things that Treylan does better than the other two,” Brown said. 

Another option at tight end for the Mountaineers could be senior Brian Polendey. 

Before coming to WVU, he played at Miami and Colorado State, where he was mainly used as a blocking tight end. With a fairly young tight end room, Polendey offers a very valuable veteran presence at the position.

With the possibility of O’Laughlin being out against Baylor, Davis and the rest of the tight ends might have a chance to prove they can be reliable players for the Mountaineers come Thursday night in Morgantown.