We are now officially halfway through the 2025 WVU football season. Things certainly haven’t gone as fans might have hoped in head coach Rich Rodriguez’s first season back at the helm of his alma mater since 2007, and the Mountaineers will try to recuperate and regroup as they enter a bye week following a road loss to BYU that dropped them to a disappointing 2-4 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 play. Here’s a look at the best (and the worst) of class so far in this midseason superlatives for West Virginia.
Team MVP, Defensive MVP: Fred Perry
It’s hard to pick an MVP for a team that in two games under .500 with half the season remaining, because so much of what we have seen this season has been unimpressive for the Mountaineers. But if we had to pick the biggest bright spot, or the most impactful player, it’s probably be Fred Perry. Perry followed Rodriguez from Jacksonville State and has been a force on the defensive side of the ball – which, while flawed, has shown much more life this season that the offense. Perry leads the team in tackles (43) and tackles for loss (4.5) through six games, and also has two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, two sacks, and one funble recovery to his name.
Offensive MVP, Impact Offensive Transfer: Cam Vaughn
It’s even more difficult to pick an MVP for the offense, and also a bit tough to determine which transfer portal addition has made the biggest impact for the Mountaineers on the side of the ball which has appeared pretty lifeless this season. But Vaughn, who also followed Rodriguez from Jacksonville State, has been the most consistent and impressive offensive weapon this season. He leads the team with 319 receiving yards and is tied for the team lead in total offensive touchdowns with three. Vaughn is also just a redshirt sophomore, which adds to his status as an impact transfer – because unlike many on this team, he’ll be around in the future.
Defensive Impact Transfer: Chase Wilson
It’d be easy enough to put Fred Perry here as well, but given that he’s already earned two of these awards, we’ll focus on another defensive transfer that has made nearly as big of an impact. Chase Wilson joined the Mountaineers for his final season after a stint at Colorado State, and has been a major presence for WVU’s defense all year – he’s tallied 30 tackles (4 TFL), three sacks, two interceptions, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble this season.
Best Freshman: Khalil Wilkins, Scotty Fox Jr.
It’s hard to pick between these two, so we’ll just toss them both in here – makes sense, as they’ll likely be the two players dueling it out at starting quarterback moving forward. They’re two of only a handful of freshmen to see significant action, and have both made cases for why they deserve the starting quarterback role. Both have tossed two interceptions, which isn’t to be unexpected for young players seeing their first action. Wilkins is 10-of-21 passing for 144 yards and one touchdown, and leads the team with 195 yards rushing. Fox, meanwhile, is 5-of-8 passing for 118 yards and one touchdown and has added 92 yards and one score with his legs.
Best Position Group: Linebacker
You likely won’t see many position groups on this team winning any awards for the top units in the country, but it’s safe to say the Mountaineers have looked best at linebacker. Between the top three linebackers on the team – Wilson, Reid Carrico, and Ben Cutter – the WVU linebacker corps has tallied 76 tackles (9 TFL), six quarterback hurries, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, three pass breakups, and three fumble recoveries this season. You can add in an additional 31 combined tackles from backups Ashton Woods and Ben Bogle as well.
Worst Position Group: Offensive Line
WVU’s offensive line is yet to post a combined average PFF grade for it’s starting five of above 62.08, and hasn’t posted a combined average grade of over 60 since the Week 2 showdown with Ohio. The offensive line just cannot seem to get any push off the ball, and several starters have been called out for missed assignments over the season.
Most Underrated Player: Carson Lee
We’ve seen very little of Lee this season, but when he has earned the nod and gotten playing time, he’s been among PFF’s highest-graded offensive linemen for the Mountaineers. It might be worthwhile for WVU to get Lee into the game more often, given how bad the offensive line has been this season. he has the versatility to play both guards and center, according to Rodriguez, which gives plenty of opportunity to slide him into the lineup.
Most Overrated Transfer Addition: Jimmori Robinson
Jimmori Robinson struggled to get eligible and wasn’t able to play until Week 4, but he has showed no signs of being the highly-touted defensive weapon WVU fans believed they were getting during the offseason. Robinson has seen 106 snaps through three games for the Mountaineers, and has managed just two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Not exactly the Top 100 transfer and former Conference Player of the Year WVU expected to get.
Most Underrated Transfer Addition: Darrian Lewis
Lewis didn’t get a ton of hype entering the season, but he’s certainly proved to be crucial to the WVU defense. He snatched up a starting safety job for the Mountaineers when many didn’t expect to see his name on the two-deep, and is second on the team with 36 total tackles and is tied for first on the team with two interceptions. For a player few were talking about to start the season, he’s made a big impact.
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