In the game of football it all starts up front, with the offensive line having to protect the quarterback and create blocks to allow for a successful rushing attack.
The Mountaineers had a consistent offensive line in 2023, which only allowed 10 sacks and helped pave the way for 4,081 rushing yards. However, they will be without two mainstays, who have started for multiple seasons as they prepare for the NFL draft in Doug Nester and Zach Frazier.
“It’s always hard when you lose two guys who are leaders,” WVU offensive line coach Matt Moore said.
After transferring from Virginia Tech following his freshman year, Nester, a native of Huntington, started in 24 games at right guard for West Virginia, before moving to right tackle prior to his senior year in 2023. He did not allow a sack all of last season and played in the East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl, looking to build his draft stock.
Frazier saw immediate action for WVU, starting nine games at left guard during the Covid year in 2020. From 2021-2023, the 6-foot-3 311-pound Fairmont native made 37 straight starts at center becoming a three-time team captain and two-time All-American (2021,2023). He also did not allow a sack last season, getting invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, which he could not physically participate in because of a leg injury sustained against Baylor on Nov. 25, 2023, and the NFL Combine, in which he was limited.
“He did a really good job setting that tone for this team,” Moore said of Frazier.
Even though he will be without two of his top players over the last couple years, Moore has optimism for his offensive line and doesn’t think they’ll be taking much of a step back from last year.
“I had seven guys that started last year and I got five of those seven back, so we’re still a veteran group,” Moore said. “I don’t see as much as of a rebuild as I expect it to be a reload. And that’s the way I’m talking to them, ‘Hey we’re not rebuilding this thing, we’re gonna keep,’ obviously you lose two really good players, but still, we still got really good players. So I expect the level of play to stay the same, maybe a little different style of play, but I expect the level to stay where it is.”
In terms of replacing Frazier, redshirt senior Brandon Yates will most likely be West Virginia’s starting center. He started for Frazier when he was injured and can play multiple positions on the offensive line. Overall, Moore believes the transition will be fairly seamless.
“There’s some things that Yates does that’s better than what Frazier did. He’s not quite as powerful and the wrestler and the grappler, but he’s very athletic, he can really run,” Moore said.
Yates also had a great opportunity to learn from Frazier and knows the importance of replacing a center that many Mountaineer fans have come to love.
“There’s some technique and fundamental things that Frazier did a great job of and he’s learned from that,” Moore said of Yates.”He embraces it. He knows that he’s filling some big shoes, but he’s ready to do it, he did in the Bowl game, did a good job, he’s had a really good spring so far.”
In the unfortunate circumstance that Yates goes down or another center, Moore has had multiple players snapping early into spring ball, to have options in mind if needed.
“I try to have an answer at center because that’s the position if you don’t have somebody ready man you can really get in trouble if you have two guys go down. So I try to have four people that I know can play, able to snap, make calls and do those things.”
With WVU looking to not take any steps back in their offensive line play, Wyatt Milum is a guy they’ll look to, to be a leader. Milum was a highly touted recruit coming out of Spring Valley High School and has started at tackle since he was a freshman. Now a senior, Milum will look to stay consistent in his play and possibly take it to the next level.
“Wyatt (Milum) is really starting to come out of his shell, he’s always been a real shy, humble, unassuming kid and he’s really starting to come out of his shell this offseason because with Frazier and Doug (Nester) leaving, because Doug was kind of the mouthpiece. Frazier was the ‘Hey look what he’s doing guy’ and Doug was the guy that was always calling ‘bs, bs’ and call people out and keep them in line, that’s just who he is and now Wyatt’s learned from both of them where he’s doing a little bit of both now,” Moore said. “Wyatt’s really come out of his shell a little bit and from a leadership standpoint he’s doing a much better job.”
On top of Millum and Yates, WVU has experienced guys in Ja’Quay Hubbard, Nick Malone and Tomas Rimac who will look to help win the battle in the trenches and keep with the same productivity of last season’s o-line, while also having younger guys who could make an impact if called upon and in years to come.
