At the beginning of the fourth quarter duringWest Virginia's win on Saturday, defensive lineman Darius Wiley went down with a lower body injury that kept him on the turf for a long time, before he was fitted in an air cast and carted off the field.
Anyone watching the game could tell it was brutal, but there wasn't an immediate diagnosis on what the injury was, or how long he'd be out. On Monday's edition of The Rich Rodriguez Show, Rodriguez was able to provide further details on the injury – and it wasn't good news.
Darius Wiley out for season after brutal injury
When asked about the severity of Wiley's injury, Rodriguez noted that it resulted in every ligament in his leg being torn, noting that one body part was out of place and need to be pushed back in immediately. Wiley will have surgery this week, which Rodriguez said will "hopefully" be the only one he needs, but it could keep him out for an extended period of time – even into the 2027 season.
"It was a severe ligament, Rodriguez said. "He had a great camp. Not a good camp, but a great camp. He's a young guy with three years and was really going to get going with it. He'll obviously be out all year, but guys that have those kinds of injuries, that tear every ligament, it takes at least a year, maybe more."
WVU DL Darius Wiley is done for the year, according to Rich Rodriguez. He might be out for more than a year.
— Spencer Ripchik (@RipchikSpencer)September 7, 2026
Wiley was likely going to be a different maker on the defensive side of the ball, as he started along the defensive line and had three tackles (one tackle for a loss), two quarterback pressures, and two quarterback hurries in 26 snaps. Now, Rodriguez will need to find a replacement, and he mentioned two names when asked who will step up – former JUCO prospect Jeremiah Johnson, and Oregon transfer Tobi Haastrup.
"I told our defensive staff, 'look, we've got to get him more reps,'" Rodriguez said about Johnson.
Johnson played 15 snaps against Coastal Carolina, and Haastrup played just three snaps. Now, both will likely see some more playing time as the Mountaineers look to find depth to replace Wiley after suffering a major blow with his injury.
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