West Virginia OL in unfamiliar territory

West Virginia will enter this season with almost the same offensive line that it did a season ago.

It’s unfamiliar territory for a unit that has seen a lot of shuffling in previous years and could pay major dividends this fall for the offense. The only starter gone from the roster is tackle Marquis Lucas who exhausted his eligibility this past year.

But a total of four of the starters that began last season in the starting lineup return this fall in redshirt freshman Yodny Cajuste at left tackle, redshirt senior Adam Pankey at left guard, redshirt senior Tyler Orlosky at center and redshirt junior Kyle Bosch at right guard.

And the current favorite to fill the right tackle spot is redshirt junior Marcell Lazard who started the final six games of last season at that position when Lucas shifted over to the left side of the line in order to replace the injured Cajuste.

Between that starting five there is a total of 79 career starts between them which is a much different situation that a season ago when the Mountaineers had no clear cut option at left tackle or right guard. It’s arguably the first time since head coach Dana Holgorsen has assumed his role in Morgantown that the Mountaineers have a relatively good idea of who to expect as the starters this fall.

Not only does the group have experience but they have experience playing together. Cajuste was inserted into the starting lineup at the beginning of the year and showed flashes of what he could become before a foot injury derailed his season. In his place, Lazard stepped up and performed well down the stretch as the right tackle.

The last missing piece on the front was at right guard where Michigan transfer Bosch took the role and struggled at the starting of the season before finding his footing and finishing the year strong.

Now granted there will be competition because there is not just experience at the top.

This is by far the deepest group that offensive line coach Ron Crook has had since he arrived in Morgantown with capable backups such as redshirt senior Tony Matteo, redshirt junior guard Grant Lingafelter, redshirt freshman offensive tackle Colton McKivitz and redshirt freshman offensive tackle Rob Dowdy all primed to contribute and challenge for time.

Not to mention the fact that Crook now will have the added benefit of picking the brain of the experienced Joe Wickline, who will help work with the unit and is one of the most revered minds in the game of football on the offensive line. That should only continue to develop the group.

Holgorsen said during the spring that West Virginia had six offensive linemen that they could trust with the five projected starters as well as Matteo as the key reserve on the inside, but there is room for more. Crook has been a proponent of using rotations to keep players fresh and this spring used several different combinations to get players accustomed to playing next to one another.

The group performed well during the spring, clearing holes in the run game while protecting senior quarterback Skyler Howard and keeping him on his feet to create plays down the field. Given the experience of the unit the offensive line should be one of the strongest units on the team.

And moving into fall camp without so many questions surrounding the offensive line is a much needed breath of fresh air for the football program.