WVU Football
Zae Jennings Building On Freshman Workload | WVU Football All 105
All 105 is a West Virginia Sports Now series profiling each member of the 2025 WVU Football Roster.
Zae Jennings appeared in 12 of 13 games during his true freshman season with WVU Football, burning a year of eligibility while playing at the spear position.
A hybrid role, most spears are built like the typical defensive back — Jennings stands six feet tall and weighs 192 pounds — but line up near the line of scrimmage, either dropping back into pass coverage or surging forward to blitz. Jennings picked up three tackles in that role this season, but might see his usage change slightly in 2025 as new head coach Rich Rodriguez has him listed as a nickel safety.
There’s a good deal of overlap between the two positions, but in the end it comes down to how defensive coordinator Zac Alley plans to call plays.
The Mountaineers’ secondary struggled quite a bit in 2024. Jennings, a three-star recruit in high school, could help the unit turn things around.
17 • Zae Jennings, sophomore nickel safety
Last year: Jennings played in 12 of 13 games during his true freshman season.
Stats: three tackles
Camp outlook: The Mountaineers have 13 safeties on their roster, but just four of them (including Jennings) are listed as a nickel specifically. Having a specialized role could indicate more playing time.
Projected role: Expect Jennings to earn consistent snaps when the situation calls for it, namely on long downs or third downs where his ability to blitz could come in handy.
Accolades, highlights: A versatile athlete and three-star recruit, Jennings played at quarterback and running back in high school in addition to his duties as a defensive back.
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