The West Virginia Mountaineers had a lot of flaws during the 2025 season, but perhaps none were so large or so evident as the constant issues up front along the offensive line.
WVU football had a rather abysmal offense last season, and when looking at how the offense graded out when evaluated by analytics companies such as Pro Football Focus (PFF), you could see just how poor the play of the team's offensive line was and how it contributed to the offensive shortcomings. Of course, it was also clearly evident to the average observer's eyes most of the season as well.
Now, the Mountaineers are set to enter the 2026 season with things looking much different. Of course, don't take this commentary as a foregone, 100 percent guarantee things will be fixed next year. Anyone who tries to seel you a guarantee like that is a fool or a grifter, because the future is never certain – especially when rebuilding a college football team via high school, JUCO, and transfer portal signees.
But some analysis of the situation on January 9, 2026 – the date I penned this article – shows things looking much different than they did at the close of the 2025 season. And it looks different than things did after the Mountaineers completed their high school and portal class last year, as well. And it looks different in a way worth being optimistic about.
Start with the man leading the position group. Last season, there were rumors head coach Rich Rodriguez wanted to reunite with his offensive line coach from Jacksonville State, and from his first stint at West Virginia – Rick Trickett. WVU hired Jack Bicknell Jr., who had worked with Rodriguez at Ole Miss.
But we wrote about the concerns and red flags surrounding Bicknell when he was hired, and the worst fears about the offensive line came to fruition underneath his leadership. Now, Bicknell is on his way out, and Trickett has been hired to replace him. Trickett brings a national championship pedigree to the staff, and has was the architect of the line for some of Rich Rodriguez and WVU's best offenses.
Then comes the players. It started by securing a highly-touted high school signee in the No. 7-ranked 2026 offensive tackle prospect, Kevin Brown. That signee capped a talented high school signing class that included 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Jonas Muya, whose recruiting score was one point away from landing a four-star rating from 247Sports and was heavily pursued by Big Ten and SEC programs. The Early Signing Period also brought the Mountaineers the No. 3-ranked JUCO interior offensive lineman prospect in the nation in Deshawn Woods, a former four-star high school recruit himself.
The comes the portal haul. The Mountaineers have landed four FBS starters, including a Big 12 starting guard in Kansas State transfer Devin Vass, who started the final seven games for the Wildcats last season. Also joining in the portal was the No. 23 offensive tackle in the portal, UConn's Carsten Casady, who has started 17 games over two years for the Huskies. Both have two years of eligibility left.
Also committing in the portal? Wes King, who started 33 games for Wyoming over the past three seasons, and All-Conference USA first-team selection Cameron Griffin, who started 16 games over the past two years at Jacksonville State and played for both Rodriguez and Trickett.
If you're keeping track, that's 57 FBS starts combined between the four lineman. Combined, they've also taken 2,221 pass snaps over their career – and they've allowed a combined two sacks. Yes, you read that right. Just two sacks in over 2,000 passing snaps.
Last year, the Mountaineers had no high school signees that were evaluated at anywhere near the same talent level as Brown or Muya. And the two big Power 4 transfers on the offensive line came in Ty'Kieast Crawford – who had only started a handful of games over multiple years at Arkansas, and then he was a backup the season before joining WVU – and Kimo Makane'ole, who started on offense at LSU but had been moved to the defensive line the season before joining WVU. Speaking with experience playing at the college level, if a lineman is moved from one side of the ball to another multiple years into their career, it's not a sign of someone successful at their original position.
Now, the Mountaineers are bringing in multiple highly-touted FBS starters with years worth of starting experience, and stole one of them from a conference rival. They also have a wild card in a top JUCO signee in Woods, and a deep freshmen class entering – even beyond Brown and Muya. Combine this with the top two starters from 2025, center Landen Livingston and tackle Nick Krahe, both returning, and you should have a recipe for success.
Add in a national championship caliber offensive line coach, and now you're cooking. And it appears the Mountaineers have officially stepped foot in the kitchen and fired up the stove. And while it could still end as a failed experiment, there's more to make one believe in this season's experiment than in what trotted into the trenches for WVU in 2025.