West Virginia head coach Neal Brown pointed out two freshman defensive backs that could help bolster the Mountaineers’ secondary as the season progresses.
The Mountaineer’s secondary through four weeks has struggled at times to stop the pass. They’ve allowed 256.5 passing yards per game and nine passing touchdowns. This has been the group that the coaching staff has been looking for someone to step up and make plays.
Monday, Brown stressed that they can utilize this bye week to evaluate players, primarily freshmen. He noted defensive backs Isreal Boyce and Keyon Washington as two players that he’d be keeping an eye on.
“I think this is a big week to test some guys out. Secondary-wise, Keyon Washington and Israel Boyce are two that we need to get a really long look at this week because I see them getting better, and I think they can help us,” Brown said. “
Boyce, another three-star prospect ranked as the No. 116 cornerback nationally and the No. 132 recruit from the state of Georgia in the class of 2024 by ESPN. He was named to the First-Team All-State team in Georgia his senior year. He chose WVU over power-four programs Boston College and Cincinnati.
Washington was a three-star recruit out of the 2024 class. ESPN has Washington ranked as the No. 100 cornerback nationally and the No. 31 best recruit out of Maryland. He also held offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Temple and Toledo according to 247Sports.
After this bye week, the Mountaineers will take on Big 12 foe Oklahoma State on the road on Oct. 5.
