West Virginia football: 3 biggest offseason questions facing Mountaineers in 2021

Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers. (Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports)
Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers. (Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers
Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers. (Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports) /

Neal Brown has the West Virginia football program heading in the right direction in 2021.

Do not be shocked if Neal Brown’s West Virginia football team takes a quantum leap forward during his third season in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers are coming off a 6-4 season, going 4-4 in Big 12 play and winning the 2020 Liberty Bowl over the Army Black Knights in Memphis. Brown is a coach who has won 10 games three times in his previous stop at Troy. Eventually, he will have WVU ranked inside of the top 25. Though he coaches in a conference with many great leaders, Brown is more than holding his own.

Though the Big 12 belongs to Oklahoma until proven otherwise, there are plenty of reasons to buy into what Brown is selling at West Virginia. While Matt Campbell is arguably the best coach in the Power 5 conference, Brown has what it takes to lead the Mountaineers back to the glory days under Rich Rodriguez. Here are the biggest offseason questions the Mountaineers face in 2021.

Biggest offseason questions facing West Virginia football

3. Who will be the impact freshmen from this 2021 recruiting class?

West Virginia ended up with the No. 40 overall recruiting class for 2021. According to the 247Sports Composite, the Mountaineers had 16 signees, including eight who decided to enroll early out of high school. Of the eight players who enrolled early, keep an eye on four-star wide receiver Kaden Prather to potentially contribute right away. He is one of three WVU four-stars.

Prather is the No. 13 player from Maryland, the No. 38 wide receiver in his class and the No. 237 player nationally for 2021. At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, the Germantown, Maryland native could be pushing for early playing time. Keep in mind that Brown is a former wide receiver himself. He has a big step ahead of many of his recruiting classmates based on talent and enrolling early.

Two other players who could be pushing for early playing time are WVU’s two other four-star recruits: Offensive tackle Wyatt Milum and all-purpose back Jaylen Anderson. Milum is the No. 1 player from West Virginia, the No. 14 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 19 player nationally. Anderson ranks No. 6 at his position, No. 9 from Ohio and No. 331 nationally for 2021.

Given that West Virginia has one of the better defenses in the Big 12, the room they need to make up is on the offensive side of the ball. Fortunately for Brown, he does have a handful of interesting incoming freshmen who might be able to make an impact for him right away in Anderson, Milum and Prather. If WVU wants to contend in the Big 12 this year, they will need freshmen to step up.