What to watch for during WVU’s Gold-Blue Spring Game

Still, the spring game does provide benefits for Mountaineer fans who are getting their first peek at the ’24 edition.

Here are some of the aspects I want to see on Saturday:

1. No more injuries – This item may seem basic, but it is easily the single most important aspect for the spring game. West Virginia has already sustained a pair of apparent long-term injuries this spring, as in the last month cornerback Jacolby Spells (upper body) and defensive lineman Corey McIntyre (lower body) each suffered what seem to be significant medical problems. Spells may miss some time in the fall, and the fear is McIntyre will have to sit out the entire ’24 season. Time will tell on the length of their rehabs, but the Mountaineers certainly don’t want any more injuries just as spring practice is coming to a close. That’s always a risk, though, when big, strong, fast people collide at full speed. I still remember the Gold-Blue Spring Game of 2000 when then-sophomore running back Quincy Wilson failed to emerge from a pile, having sustained a knee injury that would sideline him for the next year. Keep your fingers crossed that the Mountaineers don’t suffer a similar significant injury on Saturday. Coming away healthy is the biggest goal for this and any spring game.

2. Watching the newcomers – West Virginia’s spring roster currently features 85 players. A number of those are injured and will likely not play in the spring game (Spells, McIntyre, offensive lineman Bryce Biggs, cornerback T.J. Crandall, running back C.J. Donaldson, defensive lineman Oryend Fisher, placekicker Michael Hayes, defensive lineman Asani Redwood, offensive lineman Tomas Rimac and tight end Kole Taylor, though the injuries to Spells and McIntyre are the only ones expected to still be a problem in the fall). All the others who are healthy are expected to see some playing time on Saturday. Of the 85 on the current roster, 67 were with the Mountaineers when they left Charlotte last December following their 30-10 victory over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. That leaves 18 others who are new to West Virginia this spring. Of those, 10 are transfers from other four-year colleges and eight are true freshmen who enrolled at WVU from the high school ranks in January. All 18 of the newcomers are worth watching because many of them will be counted upon for immediate help in the fall. Of the 10 transfers, two are on the offensive side (wide receiver Jaden Bray and offensive tackle Xavier Bausley), two are in the defensive line (T.J. Jackson and walk-on Jackson Biser), one is a spur linebacker (Ty French), one is an inside linebacker (Reid Carrico) and the remaining four are defensive backs (Crandall, Aiden Garnes, Garnett Hollis and Jaheem Joseph). Crandall may not play Saturday because of an injury, but the others are expected to be on the field. Two or three of those will likely be starters for West Virginia in the fall, and most of the rest of them will be important factors in the rotation. The eight true freshmen who have gone through the spring – walk-on running back Clay Ash, safety Israel Boyce, walk-on defensive lineman Zyir Daniels, nose guard Nate Gabriel, safety Zae Jennings, defensive lineman Elijah Kinsler, spur linebacker Obinna Onwuka and tight end Jack Sammarco – are unlikely to push for spots on the two-deep in ’24 like the transfers, but they are definitely worth watching as well because they will be factors for the Mountaineers down the road.

3. Quarterback accuracy – West Virginia’s top two quarterbacks, Garrett Greene and Nicco Marchiol, did a lot of things well last season in leading the Mountaineers to a 9-4 record. Each made plays with their feet (Greene rushed for 772 yards, the most of any QB in the Big 12, and Marchiol averaged 3.5 yards per carry), hit big passes and avoided the negatives (a total of just seven interceptions and 10 sacks between them, both figures being the best in the league). The one problem for each quarterback, who both return to WVU in ’24, is the fact that weren’t very accurate with their throws. Between them, they completed a Big 12-low 53.8% of their passes last year (53.1% by Greene and 56.6% by Marchiol). Improving that completion percentage has been a huge focus from them this spring, and the Gold-Blue Game will give the public an opportunity to see if their accuracy has improved.

4. Battle up front – While the skill guys got much of the attention last season, a huge part of the reason why the Mountaineers improved from 5-7 in 2022 to 9-4 in 2023 was the fact that both their offensive and defensive lines were very good. Each front sustained some losses from last year (most notably Zach Frazier and Doug Nester on offense, and Mike Lockhart, Jalen Thornton and Tomiwa Durojaiye on defense), but both groups are expected to be solid again this coming season. The problem with evaluating a practice is that if you think one side is good, it may simply mean the other is bad, so the spring game isn’t a perfect indicator of what is to come in either area. Saturday will start to paint the picture of life for WVU’s offense without Frazier and Nester. The spring game will also give the young linemen on both sides of the ball a chance to show their wares.

5. Back end duel – The receiver vs. defensive back eval is definitely fraught with the “is one side good or the other side bad?” conundrum. WVU has a number of young receivers who showed great promise last year, but all of them admit they need to take another step forward this season. On the defensive side, West Virginia’s secondary returns only two starters from 2023 – safeties Aubrey Burks and Anthony Wilson. The others who will likely be further DB ingredients in ‘24 will be tested on Saturday. Transfers Hollis, Joseph, Garnes and Crandall (if he’s healthy enough to participate) all are expected to get plenty of action in the spring game, as will others like Montre Miller, Josiah Jackson, Jordon Jackson, Israel Boyce, Zae Jennings, Aden Tagaloa-Nelson, Avery Wilcox, Raleigh Collins, Jayden Bell and Duece Shabazz. Out of this group of defensive backs, the Mountaineers need to find three more starters to work alongside Burks and Wilson, as well as at least five solid backups to adequately fill out the two-deep. Saturday will give an indication as to where WVU’s secondary stands in that regard.