Six Way-Too-Early Bold Predictions for West Virginia Football

The start of the West Virginia 2025 season is still a little over 100 days away, but that doesn't stop me from thinking way into the future. I've got six way-too-early bold predictions for you, so let's dive right in.

An early-season scare

It's been a while since West Virginia played a non-Power Four opponent away from Morgantown. Although there will be a strong contingent of Mountaineer fans in Athens, this feels like an easy game for WVU to sort of sleepwalk through after beating the brakes off of Robert Morris and having Pitt on deck. They'll leave with the win, but expect a flustered Rich Rodriguez in his postgame press conference.

College GameDay in Morgantown

On the national scene, there are a handful of other games that most will expect GameDay to such as Wisconsin at Alabama, Florida at LSU, Georgia at Tennessee, and Texas A&M at Notre Dame. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where the GameDay crew goes, but why not the Backyard Brawl? The atmosphere will be insane, especially for Rich Rod's first game against the Panthers since, well, you know.

A 5-0 start

Can I be honest with you? I'm not completely convinced this happens, but the schedule isn't daunting. This may be one of those predictions I throw out a couple of weeks into fall camp, but for now, we're riding with the hot start. This is the definition of a bold prediction, right?

Robert Morris and Ohio should be no sweat. You get Pitt and Utah at home with a road trip to Kansas in between. The schedule does get tougher after that, so a late-season collapse could be in the cards. And no, I don't expect West Virginia to be in contention for a spot in Dallas come late November.

Jahiem White leads the Big 12 in rushing

There may not be a single player on this WVU roster who fits Rich Rodriguez's system better than the electrifying Jahiem White. Since Mountaineer fans were robbed of seeing Noel Devine grow and develop in Rich Rod's system, this is the next best thing. White will receive a heavy workload, and as long as the offensive line isn't horrendous, he'll be at the top of the Big 12 rushing leaderboard.

WVU has a 1,000-yard receiver

In Neal Brown's six years as the head coach at West Virginia, he failed to produce a single 1,000-yard receiver. Although Rich Rodriguez's offense is considered to be a run-heavy or run-first approach, he'll still sling the ball around, especially if that's where his best playmakers are.

The ground game should be very reliable, but I get the hunch that one of these transfer receivers will break out and have a big year. My guess? Former Jacksonville State star Cam Vaughn. Don't sleep on a healthy Jaden Bray either.

Dead last in sacks

One of the biggest concerns I have with the defense is the lack of true pass rushers. Jimmori Robinson (UTSA transfer) was a massive get, but opposing coordinators will slide protection his way and scheme things up to keep him out of the backfield.

WVU needs two or three more guys who pose a threat to take the focus off Robinson, and I'm not sure they have that. WVU finishes dead last in the Big 12 in sacks, and yes, I know, Zac Alley is super aggressive with blitzes.

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