A new depth chart projection for the West Virginia defense as we are about halfway through spring.
, now that we are midway through spring ball. As noted in that story, we don't get to take in any of the practices, but there are some things that I can piece together to form the best guess at what the depth chart may look like at the moment.
I'm throwing Durham-Campbell in the starting role because he has experience and production at the FBS level. Wiley is someone Zac Alley is really excited about, but will probably be in a rotational role this season.I've had Gabriel as the backup here, but I'm going to flip the order here. Gabriel has been in the system and made some nice plays a year ago. Ultimately, I see both these guys getting equal playing time, so I'm not sure my switching them really matters all that much.I'm leaning toward Henson here, but don't want to count out McIntyre. This is one battle that could spill over into the regular season.Holloman, the Western Kentucky transfer, is, in my opinion, one of the more underrated pickups of the offseason. The dude can really apply pressure. With Haastrup, I'm intrigued to see where he ends up. He's still so new to the game, and with how big he is, perhaps he kicks inside as a defensive end.Stolsky reminds me a ton of Chase Wilson in terms of passion, that blue-collar mentality, and physicality that he plays with. Patterson can be groomed to be the starter over the course of the next year.I've moved Cutter into the starting lineup because I get the sense that the staff thinks really highly of him. This is another spot where I see the top two guys splitting time, but if Cutter has a strong summer and fall camp, he could become the leader of this defense.Latimer played on the outside with Zac Alley at Jacksonville State, but primarily at nickel with Wisconsin. I believe Alley likes the idea of having a physical playmaker at the nickel/sam spot and believes Latimer is a better fit in this scheme for that position, especially now that he's seen him play it in another defense.Lumping the cornerbacks all together here because there's no telling who will play on what side. My guess is that Allen and Diagne will begin the season as starters. Their length is imposing and can cause problems for opposing wide receivers. Reynolds has some good size at 6'3", but Rawlison is the one that sticks out, checking in at just 5-foot-9. Don't let that fool you, though. The kid packs a punch and plays much bigger than the frame indicates.I could see Wilson and Williams both starting with Sieg being the first option in the rotation at the start of the year. But Sieg is so talented and so athletic that they may not be able to have him coming off the sidelines. All four of these guys are going to play and will make an impact.Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.‘Nothing Could Pull Me Out of Here’: Why Ben Cutter Refused to Leave WVUAlabama vs. Oklahoma Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Playoff First Round
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