Which Young WVU Players Stood Out During Bye Week Scrimmages?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU enjoyed a much-needed break during their bye week, but that doesn’t mean the coaching staff just took the whole week completely off. In fact, head coach Neal Brown and his staff held four scrimmages with their developmental players.

And on Monday before shifting his focus to the Mountaineers’ next opponent, Brown called out a couple young players who stood out. First, Brown said 2023 recruit Johnny Williams earned his Offensive Lineman of the Week honor.

“A guy we are excited about. I think he’s had to play in three of our four games now at left tackle and I think he’s really maturing and growing. I thought he had a good week,” said Brown about Williams’ progression as a player. Williams, who hails from Georgia, appeared in five games for WVU in 2023.

Brown then named freshman running back Diore Hubbard the Offensive Player of the Week. Brown said Hubbard did a “nice job” both running the ball and in protraction. “He’s someone we’re excited about,” added Brown.

Listed at 5-foot-10, 193 pounds by the WVU program, Hubbard is a product of Gahanna Lincoln High School in Columbus, Ohio. He was considered a three-star prospect out of high school.

When asked to comment about Hubbard, WVU offensive coordinator Chad Scott referred to the running back as “special” with the ball in his hands, referring to his ability to make a play on a called run play or even as a receiver.

But as West Virginia enjoyed the day off on Saturday and was able to take a look at the future of their roster, their next opponent experienced another tough loss. Oklahoma State will now head into their matchup with WVU very vulnerable after losing to Kansas State.

The Cowboys fell to the Wildcats by the convincing score of 42-20, dropping their second straight conference game. Despite three overall wins on the season, Oklahoma State is now 0-2 in the Big 12 standings.

West Virginia and Oklahoma State will kickoff at 4 pm ET and 3 pm local time in Stillwater. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.

For a related story, WVU head coach Neal Brown talked about what he expects from Oklahoma State and Ollie Gordon.