Photo: WVU Football
Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in the comments.
CAMP MOVES
West Virginia is closing in on its first major checkpoint of fall camp — Saturday’s full scrimmage — which Rich Rodriguez says will go a long way toward shaping the team’s first depth chart. Tuesday’s practice ended with 25 minutes of live situational work, and the head coach liked what he saw. “I thought we got better,” Rodriguez said, adding that the team also benefited from the weather — warm, but not the scorching August heat that can hit this time of year.
Saturday’s scrimmage will come with a new-look running back rotation. Transfer Jaylan Knighton, who joined the Mountaineers after stops at Miami and SMU, has been removed from the roster while dealing with an eligibility issue unrelated to the ongoing NCAA lawsuit involving four other transfers. His departure leaves Jahiem White at the top of the depth chart, followed by Diore Hubbard, Cyncir Bowers, Clay Ash, and Kannon Katzer.
There was also an addition — or rather, a return — to the roster. Morgantown native Preston Fox, who briefly retired in January due to injuries, is back for his senior season. The veteran receiver has 43 career catches and will work both inside and outside in Rodriguez’s offense while handling punt and kick returns. Rodriguez says Fox is fully healthy and ready to make the most of his final year in the old gold and blue.
State Attorney General JB McCuskey has filed an amicus brief supporting four Mountaineers challenging the NCAA’s Five-Year Rule. The players argue the rule unfairly limits eligibility for those who started at non-NCAA schools, while the state says it violates antitrust law and restricts athletes’ earning potential in the NIL era. A hearing is set for Aug. 19.
The Sept. 6 matchup with Ohio University in Athens is officially a sellout. The game will be WVU’s first road game at a Group of 5 opponent’s home stadium since visiting Marshall in 2010. It’s also the first game against a non-power conference foe away from Morgantown since facing BYU at FedEx Field in 2016.
WVU’s 304 Mobile Pass season ticket option is officially sold out, marking the program’s highest season ticket demand in more than a decade. Green Zone and Family Fun Zone season tickets are also gone, but traditional season tickets remain available starting at $380 (plus MAC contribution). The only way to get Backyard Brawl tickets through WVU is with a full season ticket.
Bandit linebacker Braden Siders is settling into Morgantown after five seasons at Wyoming, where he racked up 14 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. The Colorado native committed to Arizona before staff changes led him to WVU, where he’ll reunite with high school teammate Chase Wilson.
Heartland College Sports has West Virginia pegged for a losing record in Rich Rodriguez’s first season back in Morgantown, citing a tough non-conference slate and overall rebuild as reasons for a likely slow start, though they believe Rodriguez could have the program moving in the right direction by year’s end.
WVU is in the Palmetto bracket of the 2025 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic with Clemson, Georgia, and Xavier. The Mountaineers have dominated Clemson historically, holding a 5-1 series lead that includes a 78-73 win in the 2007 NIT Final. Play begins Nov. 21 in Charleston, S.C.
WVU men’s soccer senior Marcus Caldeira has landed on the United Soccer Coaches forwards-to-watch list. The Mississauga native enters his final season with 28 career goals — ninth most in program history — and was the 2024 CSC Academic All-American of the Year. WVU opens Aug. 21 vs. Manhattan at Dick Dlesk.
JJ Wetherholt led off Memphis’ game Tuesday with his 14th homer of the season — and seventh since his July 9 promotion to Triple-A. The 22-year-old shortstop is now a top-five prospect on Baseball America’s list and could debut in St. Louis before season’s end.
The arrival of All-Pro Jalen Ramsey and his ability to play multiple spots in the secondary has Pittsburgh deep at cornerback — and that could push Beanie Bishop Jr. off the initial 53-man roster. Bishop flashed as an undrafted rookie in 2024 but was inconsistent, and beat writer Ray Fittipaldo says both Bishop and James Pierre are “in dog fights” to make the team.
After a rookie season that saw him appear in just two games for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jesse Edwards has signed a one-year deal with Melbourne United of Australia’s NBL. The 7-footer and former Mountaineer averaged 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in the G League last season
Alek Manoah will take the mound for Triple-A Buffalo today against Lehigh Valley in an MLB rehab start. Manoah, who last pitched for Toronto in 2024, is expected to throw 70–75 pitches. In seven career starts with the Bisons, he’s 3-2 with a 3.50 ERA, including a 12-strikeout, two-hit gem in his last outing for the club
Left-hander John Means, signed by Cleveland while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, is set to throw a bullpen Wednesday as the Guardians map out his next steps. Means tossed two innings in a “bridge” game over the weekend with no issues and could begin a rehab assignment soon, with hopes of joining the rotation for the September playoff push. The former All-Star owns a career 3.68 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.
Kansas alum David Booth has donated $300 million to KU, the largest gift in school history and among the biggest ever in college athletics. $75 million will fund Phase 2 renovations to the east side of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium after the 2025 season, with the rest creating a new revenue stream for Jayhawk athletics.
Oklahoma starting quarterback John Mateer says Venmo transactions labeled “sports gambling” were just inside jokes with friends, not actual bets. OU officials are aware of the screenshots from 2022, when Mateer was at Washington State, but say there’s no NCAA investigation at this time.
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