2 rising stars from WVU's fall camp who can help spark Rich Rodriguez's offense

The West Virginia Mountaineers are getting well into fall camp, with the team set to have one week of practices under their belts come Wednesday. And while there is still plenty of work which needs to be done before the season opener against Coastal Carolina on September 5, there are some players beginning to develop a bit of a buzz as the regular season rapidly apporaches.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Mountaineers lacked both dynamic playmakers and effective offensive line play last year, which played a role in head coach Rich Rodriguez's normally explosive offense finishing the season near the bottom of many statistical categories in the FBS. But a couple of players – one newcomer, and one returner who saw limited action last season – could help negate that this season.

Cyrus Traugh – WR

Let's start with the returning player: Cyrus Traugh. Traugh joined the Mountaineers last offseason during Rich Rodriguez's initial return to the program. But last season, he saw very limited action, only making it onto the field against Robert Morris and Kansas.

But Traugh stuck it out, and the additional offseason in the program appears to be paying dividends for his development. During spring practices, hewon the Tommy Nickolich Award, historically awarded to distinguished walk-ons.

And during camp media sessions, he isalready being mentioned amongthe "six or seven" players ready to make an appearance in the rotation at wide receiver this season, as well as a potential kick and punt returner.

"Cyrus Traugh, he's an in-state guy that is showing us a lot, and he's had some good practices too," Rodriguez said last week.

Kevin Brown – OT

Seeing Brown's name added to this list should come as no surprise to West Virginia fans. He was one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the Class of 2026, and many fans have been expecting him to contribute in some way as a true freshman since he committed to the program.

But even more buzzbegan to emergeduring the summer that he was a potential game one starter – which isn't something many freshman offensive lineman are able to achieve – and Rich Rodriguez confirmed as much during the first week of camp.

"Kevin's got a chance to start," Rodriguez said. "I mean, he's physically ready, but more than anything, he's got a certain level of maturity, football maturity, that you don't typically see in a true freshman."

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