College Football Preview 2024: West Virginia Mountaineers win projections, strengths and weaknesses, quarterback spotlight and more

Head coach: Neal Brown (sixth season)
2023 record: 9-4 (Won Duke’s Mayo Bowl)
PFF power ranking: 39th
Chance to win the Big 12: 6%
Strength of schedule: 36th
Projected win total: 6.4
FanDuel win total: 6.5
2024 recruiting rank (On3): No. 50 nationally, No. 8 in the Big 12

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown entered 2023 on the hot seat after a combined 22-25 record in his first four years with the Mountaineers. There wasn’t much optimism that he would turn it around, as West Virginia entered the season with a 4.5 preseason win total. But the program exceeded every expectation with a 9-4 finish, its best record in seven years.

Quarterback Garrett Greene had a breakout season, and the Mountaineers featured an electric backfield duo — Jaheim White and CJ Donaldson Jr. All three return and form one of the more exciting offenses in the Big 12. There are some concerns on the other side of the ball, particularly the front seven, but a strong secondary should keep the defense afloat.

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Biggest Strength: Run game

West Virginia has a top-10 running back unit in college football, thanks to Jaheim White and CJ Donaldson Jr., who each rushed for around 800 yards last season. Garrett Greene is also a dynamic rushing threat, tying for first among FBS quarterbacks in 2023 in rushing touchdowns (13).

Biggest Weakness: Pass rush

The Mountaineers struggled to get after the quarterback last year, placing among the 20 worst teams in the nation in pass-rush win rate (29%). Two of their four starting defensive linemen transferred, including edge defender Jared Bartlett — the only West Virginia defensive lineman to post a pass-rushing grade above 65.0 last season.

2023 Team Overview

Offense
EPA per play	Yards per play	Successful play rate	Explosive run play rate	Explosive pass play rate
0.093	6.4	37.4%	18.9%	17.3%
31st	T-25th	44th	21st	27th
Defense
EPA allowed per play	Yards allowed per play	Successful play rate allowed	Explosive run rate allowed	Explosive pass rate allowed
0.020	5.9	36.6%	15.1%	15.2%
84th	T-90th	100th	T-62nd	101st

Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions

S Jaheem Joseph (Northwestern): 80.7 PFF grade
DI T.J. Jackson (Troy): 89.7 PFF grade
CB Garnett Hollis Jr. (Northwestern): 73.0 PFF grade

Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses

EDGE Jared Bartlett (Cincinnati): 56.0 PFF grade
DI Mike Lockhart (SMU): 56.7 PFF grade
S Hershey McLaurin (Houston): 74.2 PFF grade

Quarterback Spotlight: Garrett Greene

2023 Grade: 90.9
Key Stat: 10.2% big-time throw rate (highest in FBS)