Farrell Files: WVU Adds Depth to Future of QB Room, Fills Need with TE

Okay West Virginia fans, let’s take a look at the 2023 class in the next of many Farrell Files as we also track some things in the portal.

I’ll continue to say it, I like this class for many reasons. WVU always lacks a geographical thumbprint that others in the Big 12 have and Neal Brown was under fire and on the hot seat all season. But the QB get is not the strength of this class and we start there.

The QB room is young at West Virginia so let’s start with that. This wasn’t technically a position of need, which sounds dumb when talking about quarterback. But when they pushed QB commit Raheim Jeter out of the nest this summer it was never a position they wanted to reach on. When you think about this day and age where players jump into the portal on a whim, a young QB room can quickly become a thin QB room. 

West Virginia landed on NC QB Sean Boyle whose other biggest offer was from Rutgers. He has positive qualities — he’s accurate and makes good and quick decisions so there’s that. But he also lacks elite arm strength and he doesn’t have a ton of throwing experience having played in an offense that throws the ball 100 times a year. While he is shifty and can move around, he’s slight and looks like he could get crushed at the Power Five level. The bottom line is he needs to add strength and bulk and will need a year to sit for sure. He’s also a Graham Harrell kind of QB, get the ball out quick and don’t hang around and go through multiple reads, so he will need to adapt to a different offense. He’s a wildcard at the position. I wouldn’t say he’s a reach as his best football could be ahead of him, but he’s a depth filler for now.

As for the portal, it’s tough to track as we know. LB Amani Gainer picks between WVU and North Carolina this Friday and I’m hearing more ‘Heels than Mountaineers right now. TE Kole Taylor is a good get, he’s a kid I liked out of Colorado in the 2020 class, but I wondered if he overshot his skill level at LSU. He liked Penn State a lot out of high school and liked the rural area so when he hit the portal it wasn’t a surprise he looked there.

WVU QB Garrett Greene to FSU Transfer LB Amari Gainer: ‘Let’s Run it Back!’

But PSU is loaded at tight end and an opportunity at West Virginia was a perfect fit. He was passed over by Mason Taylor at LSU who is an absolute freak and phenom so hitting the portal wasn’t because he just wasn’t good. This was circumstantial and can happen at a program like LSU. He’s a solid blocker but he’s more of a pass catcher and will pair well with Treylan Davis who is a better blocker. Taylor has good upside for sure.