West Virginia is building a good mix in the backfield

West Virginia is building a good mix in the running back room of both talent, experience and upside.

The Mountaineers currently have five on the roster in junior Jahiem White, redshirt senior Tye Edwards, redshirt freshman Diore Hubbard, redshirt senior Jaylan Knighton and sophomore Clay Ash.

White has the most experience at West Virginia after rushing for 1,687 yards over his first two seasons and 11 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He also caught 24 passes for 247 yards and 3 more scores. The third-year running back is by far the most experienced returning option on the offensive side of the ball.

White was limited in the spring due to a minor knee injury but there is no concern over how effective he can be in the current offense given what he brings to the table.

“Jahiem, we know is a proven guy, and I think he’s going to have a great year. He’s got a great skill set and for what we do too,” Rodriguez said during the spring.

But with White on the sidelines for most of the spring that meant more reps were given to both Edwards and Hubbard to showcase what they could do.

Edwards, 6-foot-4, 230-pounds, joined the program in the winter from Northern Iowa, where he put together two impressive seasons for the Panthers.

Edwards rushed for 1,557 yards and 11 touchdowns during that time which included this past season where he rushed for 1,022 yards and 6 scores while catching 12 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. A different body type than White, Edwards is a big back that can generate yards after contact.

Hubbard is coming off a productive spring where he received praise from Rodriguez on multiple occasions with what he was able to do on the field and he backed that up with strong play in the Gold-Blue Showcase.

The redshirt freshman appeared in just three games last season and had just one carry for a single yard but now seems primed to step into a potentially larger role for the Mountaineers.

A two-time all-state selection in Ohio, Hubbard was a finalist for the Mr. Ohio Award and rushed for 1,883 yards with 28 touchdowns as a senior.

Knighton, 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, is the lates addition to the roster after committing to the Mountaineers during the spring transfer window after spending two years at SMU. During his time with the Mustangs, he appeared in only three games last year before missing the rest of the season due to injury. During those contests, Knight rushed for 43 yards on 12 carries and had 4 catches for 42 yards.

In 2023, Knighton rushed for 745 yards and 7 touchdowns, an average of 5.5 per carry and also made 13 catches for 89 yards and a score.

Prior to that Knighton spent three seasons at Miami where he appeared in 27 games and rushed for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns during that time including leading the Hurricanes with 561 yards and 8 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2021.

He has one year left.

The final piece to the puzzle is Ash, who received the 2025 Tommy Nickolich Memorial Award which recognizes a walk-on team member who has distinguished himself through his work ethic and attitude. Ash played primarily on special teams as a true freshman but is in the mix in the backfield.

Ash was named IMG Academy’s offensive most valuable player after rushing for 2,032 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior.

But like most spots on the roster, Rodriguez didn’t necessarily close the door on adding more players into the mix either in the spring.

The head coach made it clear that he wants three running backs ready to roll and that may lead to the Mountaineers potentially adding even more to the roster with a rush of transfer additions across the board.

So while the movement might not be done just yet, the Mountaineers are building a solid group in the backfield heading into the 2025 season.