Josiah Trotter Aims to Forge His Own Legacy at West Virginia

The name Trotter is forever linked with success on the gridiron.

Jeremiah Trotter had a decorated career as a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 2000’s, playing in four Pro-Bowls and being selected to two All-Pro teams. His oldest son, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., earned All-American honors while at Clemson before being selected by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Junior has already been reported to be taking snaps with the first team at training camp, so the legacy of the number 54 in midnight green will continue to grow.

But when asked about what’s similar and different between him and his father and brother, Josiah Trotter emphasized the differences between them all. “I feel like we all had different games, but we all take something from my dad that he really instilled in all of us.”

The youngest Trotter credits his physicality and run stopping ability to his father. He credits his brother for filling in the gaps of his own abilities, as they build off of each other. “I know I take a lot of things from his game, he takes things from my game.”

But football has been around and even inside the Trotter household for decades. “There’s a bunch of memories, not even being in the backyard, being in the living room, doing tackling and hitting drills with each other.” While Trotter said it may not have been fun for himself or his brother, Trotter Sr. had fun with it.

Regardless of his family’s history, Trotter is set on creating his own legacy. The four-star prospect turned down offers from the likes of Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and even his brother’s alma mater Clemson, in hopes of carving out his own path. “That’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to come here, to create a name for myself and do my own thing,” he remarked. “A lot of people probably thought I would follow him to Clemson, but I wanted to go somewhere else and create my own name and path.”

While West Virginia was late to Trotter’s recruitment, linebackers coach Jeff Koonz maintained consistent communication with Pennsylvania’s No. 7 prospect for the Class of 2023. Eventually, it paid off with a visit to Morgantown.

“I took a visit and fell in love with it,” Trotter acknowledged. “The scheme, the coaches, the area and how the fans treated the team. I loved seeing how Karl Joseph, Tavon Austin and a lot of those older dudes really made an impact on this team and this state. I want to be able to do that.”

Trotter was an early enrollee last spring, and was in line for significant playing time in the fall before his knee injury. “I wanted to make an impact right away, no matter what it was,” Trotter said. “I had the chance to compete for a starting job and it went sideways. I’ve got to restart and come back this year and make a statement.”

While Trotter missed his first season due to a leg injury, he still put in the mental work. “Coach (Jeff) Koonz, he wanted to just make sure I was still involved, still learning the playbook, and then just still growing mentally even though I couldn’t be out there physically,” Trotter commented. “Just watching film from week to week on our opponents, just being in the meetings asking questions, being talkative, and then just answering questions he had for me. Every week he would try to set apart time for me and him, just go in there and watch film on what I thought, what I saw on different plays that we had, and just making sure I was still in tune mentally with the game.”

Now with a fresh slate heading into the 2024 season, Trotter is ready to turn heads. “The combination of the size, power, explosiveness and athleticism with speed at 240 (pounds), it’s a combo where there’s not really anything that he does badly,” WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said.

After more than a year of anticipation, Trotter is primed to make his mark on the gridiron. His long-awaited debut will finally happen on August 31st against Penn State.