On his radio show Thursday, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown mentioned that senior defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen will be out for a “good bit” after suffering an injury against UAlbany
Brown said that Troy transfer T.J. Jackson will step into Vesterinen’s starting role. He also noted Asani Redwood and Hammond Russell as guys he expects to step up.
Brown highlighted true freshman Nate Gabriel as someone he was impressed with against UAlbany. He expects Garbiel to play against Pitt at nose guard while being another player to step up with Vesterinen out.
Vesterinen, a native of Finland, started all 13 games for WVU last season as a defensive tackle. He was an All-Big 12 Conference Honorable Mention (Coaches), with 28 total tackles (10 solo), four-and-a-half tackles for loss, and three sacks in 2023. In two games this season, Vesterinen had seven tackles (one solo) and half a sack.
WVU will be on the road Saturday for the 2024 Backyard Brawl. The game will be televised on ESPN2, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST.
