Starting this week we’ll be examining the strongest and weakest positions on each Big 12 team heading into summer workouts and preseason camp.
We kick off the series with West Virginia:
Strongest position: Receiver
One year after entering the season with receiver as a major question mark, West Virginia returns three starters and plenty of big play threats.
Shelton Gibson returns after becoming one of the Big 12’s top big-play threats while averaging a eye-popping 23.97 yards per catch. The junior has blazing speed but will be looking to improve on his 45.1 reception percentage after making just 37 receptions on 82 targets a year ago. Gibson had 37 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore.
Daikiel Shorts brings his veteran savvy as a pass-catcher with 24 starts under his belt heading into his final season. He’ll likely serve as Skyler Howard’s safety net during his senior season. Shorts was West Virginia’s leading receiver in 2015 with 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns.
Ka'Raun White rounds out the list of projected starters as he really started to get comfortable during the latter part of his first season in Morgantown, West Virginia. The younger brother of Kevin White, Ka'Raun has similar traits to his older sibling with the size, speed and ball skills to cause problems for Big 12 defensive backs. His four receptions for 116 yards in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl was the most productive game of his debut season in 2015.
Behind that trio, the Mountaineers have other talented pass catchers. Gary Jennings emerged in the spring as a legit No. 4 option who can slide into the lineup with ease while true freshman early enrollee Marcus Simms impressed enough to work his way into the Mountaineers plans in the fall. If sophomore Jovan Durant returns, this could be a deep and talented group.
Weakest position: Cornerback
There’s a reason West Virginia signed five cornerbacks in February.
The Mountaineers had one of the best cornerback duos in the Big 12 with Daryl Worley and Terrell Chestnut manning opposite sides of the field in 2015. Chestnut finished his eligibility and Worley left early for the NFL, leaving Dana Holgorsen’s program to rebuild at the position.
Three seniors (Antonio Crawford, Nana Kyeremeh, Rasul Douglas) battled for playing time in the spring but reinforcements are needed with Mike Daniels, Sean Mahone, Jake Long and Elijah Battle as the four cornerback signees who weren’t on campus during spring workouts.
New cornerbacks coach Blue Adams has some talent to work with but the Mountaineers’ cornerback meeting room is full of inexperience. Which means there’s likely to be some ups and downs as that group learns and gains experience this fall.