With college football just a few weeks away, this linebacker core is ready to turn heads this season.
Josiah Trotter
Trotter is a redshirt freshman coming off a season ending injury that prevented him from taking the field. There’s still plenty of reason to be optimistic about the Philadelphia native. The former three-star prospect is the son and brother of NFL Talent with Jeremiah Trotter, both Sr. and Jr., being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. Jeremiah Jr. is entering his rookie season with the Eagles, while Jeremiah Sr. made four Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team while playing in the NFL. This isn’t to overshadow the youngest Trotter, however. During his senior year in high school, Trotter recorded 75 tackles, two forced fumbles, three sacks and an interception. Those stats were also compiled while missing four games with an injury. He was invited to play in the All-American Bowl and was All-State First Team in 2022. Expect Trotter to be an immediate impact player that will make the most of the time he has on the field.
During Trotter’s recruitment, he got 14 offers including ones from Clemson, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. His brother, Jeremiah Jr., played at Clemson.
Ben Cutter
Cutter is a true sophomore that played in all 13 games and started in seven games last season. In his freshman year, Cutter was the fourth-leading tackler for West Virginia (56), including 28 unassisted tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, and a pass breakup. He was named WVU Defensive Champion for the game against Baylor, where he finished with a season-high 10 tackles. The former three-star prospect has made his presence known on the defensive side of the ball early. While he’ll be competing for snaps against Josiah Trotter, the expectation is that both will see considerable snap counts. Cutter saw 471 snaps on defense last season – expect that number to be considerably higher in 2024.
Trey Lathan
Lathan is a redshirt sophomore who suffered a season ending injury this past season against TCU. Prior to the injury, Lathan started in five games and had impressive games against Texas Tech and Pitt. In those games, Lathan recorded eight tackles each. Against the Red Raiders, Lathan had a season-high six solo tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. If Lathan can stay healthy throughout the 2024 season, his name will be learned by many more people. He’ll most likely start at middle linebacker for the Mountaineers this year.
Caden Biser
Biser is a redshirt junior that’s found his role serving as both linebacker depth and a core member of West Virginia’s special teams unit. He saw the field over 120 times on defense and 150 times on special teams. On defense, Biser made more appearances as the season went on, seeing a season high 34 defensive snaps in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina. He totaled 23 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss over the course of the 2023 season. While Biser will likely be used for special teams first, he serves as an experienced depth piece in a fairly young linebacker room.
Reid Carrico
Carrico is a redshirt junior transfer from Ohio State. The former four-star prospect was seldom used by the Buckeyes in his three years in Columbus. Carrico has recorded five tackles in 19 games while playing the mass majority of his snaps on special teams. Now, a former Top 10 linebacker prospect for the Class of 2021 has come to Morgantown. While his college career hasn’t turned out how many would expect, Carrico has a chance to rewrite his legacy with two seasons of eligibility left. He has the potential to be an X-Factor for the Mountaineers this season.
Ty French
French is a true senior transfer from Gardner-Webb who will play as a SPUR linebacker, which is a linebacker / safety hybrid position. Thanks to an extra season of eligibility due to COVID, French is a four-time All-Big South Conference First-Team honoree. He finished his time at Gardner-Webb with the school record in career sacks (34.5) and career tackles for loss (61). In 41 career games, French finished with 239 total tackles. While French has had a truly dominant collegiate career, it took place at the FCS level. Look for him to be a strong pass rusher, as he played as a defensive end prior to converting to a SPUR linebacker.
