Junior runningback CJ Donaldson has only been at West Virginia for three years, but he feels like he’s lived in the Mountain State his whole life.
Donaldson, a native of Miami, Florida, has scored 21 touchdowns in his Mountaineer career so far despite dealing with multiple injuries. His first game in the old gold and blue was against Pitt in the return of the Backyard Brawl in 2022 where he emerged as an offensive weapon for WVU.
“It (Backyard Brawl) definitely means a lot to the state (West Virginia). You know that (has) been our rival,” Donaldson said. “We definitely play for the state. This state is kind of like an underrated state. A lot of people don’t really know how hard the things that we go through as being here. And I’ve been here for three years now, so it feels like I lived here. So, it kind of like brought the culture on to me. Like ‘yeah I’ve been here my whole life’ like, but I be kind of forget like I’m from Miami.”
In his first game as a Mountaineer, Donaldson took seven carries for 125 yards and a touchdown against Pitt in 2022. Last season against the Panthers, Donaldson rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts, helping lead WVU to victory.
“Just how like important this game is to the fans, we definitely understand that and just the whole state of West Virginia, we definitely understand how important it is,” Donaldson said.
The 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl will kick off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST from Acrisure Stadium and will be televised on ESPN2.
Photo by Tanner Mountz, Blue Gold Sports
Discover more from Blue Gold Sports
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
