The 2024 college football season is just around the corner and the West Virginia Mountaineers may have much to look forward to.
WVU finished 2023 8-4 in the regular season, their best record under head coach Neal Brown. They also picked up a bowl win over UNC and made multiple additions in the offseason through the transfer portal.
Although, the Mountaineers lost a few players to graduation and the draft, including star center Zach Frazier, they have a solid core heading into this season. The following will predict breakout candidates for West Virginia this fall, similar to players like Hudson Clement last season.
Brandon Yates
Brandon Yates has played every position on WVU’s offensive line over the past couple of seasons. However, he will likely be the team’s starting center in 2024, taking over for Frazier. At the core, Yates will be a big part of how West Virginia’s offensive line performs and can look to be a much-needed leader. Along with Wyatt Milum, Yates is one of the most experienced and skilled Mountaineer offensive linemen, having the possibility to pick up Big 12 honors when the season comes to a close.
Preston Fox
Redshirt junior wide receiver Preston Fox is another player who can make a big leap forward in 2024. Fox, a Morgantown native, returned kicks and punts for the Mountaineers in 2023 and saw more snaps offensively, leading to much-improved statistics. He caught 26 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns, whereas he only had five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in two seasons prior. Fox is one of the more seasoned players in a fairly young receiving core, giving him the ability to lead by example and continue to improve nearing the end of his college football career. Having built a strong connection with Garrett Greene over the last few seasons, Fox could become one of the quarterback’s favorite targets.If he continues to return kicks and punts for WVU, he also has the potential to bring a ton of momentum.
Rodney Gallagher III
Entering his freshman season last year, Rodney Gallagher had a ton of hype around him as a four-star recruit. Brown emphasized getting the ball in Gallagher’s hands any way he could, which led to him getting more carries than receptions in 2023. He finished his freshman campaign with 15 rushes for 87 yards and 10 catches for 74, he is still yet to score his first collegiate touchdown. One of the stories of the offseason for WVU has been Gallagher taking snaps on both sides of the ball, offensively as a wide receiver, which he has been playing and defensively as a defensive back. This led to Gallagher changing his number to 24 so he could play both slides, a number not worn by either player on each side, as he was unable to keep his No. 2 because of safety/spear Aubrey Burks. Seeing more snaps overall, Gallagher has a better chance of making a difference for the Mountaineers this season and having him play both ways may definitely be something to keep an eye on.
Ty French
Ty French was one of the portal additions made by West Virginia this offseason and one that had many fans excited. French’s stats at FCS Gardner-Webb jump off the page. Early into the 2023 season, he became the Big South’s All-Time sack leader. He also put up impressive numbers in almost every other defensive statistic relative to a pass rusher. French is set out to spend his final year of college eligibility with the Mountaineers and can become one of the Big 12’s top defensive players if he can recreate the success he had at Gardner-Webb. French very well can wreak havoc and may have a huge part of WVU’s ability to put pressure on opposing team’s QBs.
