4 Unexpected Standouts Fueling WVU Football’s 2-0 Start
· Yahoo Sports
Photos by Tyler Thomas
For the first time since 2018, West Virginia football is 2-0.
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There are plenty of names getting attention for the Mountaineers’ strong start, and rightfully so, but through the first two games, some of the players who have caught my attention the most aren’t necessarily the ones I expected to be talking about this early.
After a 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina and a much more comfortable 52-7 win over UT Martin, a few Mountaineers have already started making a name for themselves.
Here are four that have surprised me the most.
DJ Epps
If there was one player who made sure everyone knew his name against UT Martin, it was DJ Epps.
Epps finished the game with 112 receiving yards, but it did not take long for him to make an impact. On WVU’s first drive, Michael Hawkins Jr. found Epps for a 53-yard touchdown to put the Mountaineers on the board.
And he was NOT done.
Epps later hauled in a 59-yard pass that helped set up another WVU touchdown. In a game filled with explosive plays, he was responsible for two of the biggest.
With so much attention going into the season on the run game and Hawkins’ ability to make plays with his legs, Epps showing that he can be a big play threat through the air adds another piece to this offense.
If this is a sign of what’s coming, his name probably won’t qualify as a surprise for much longer.
Ashton Woods
Ashton Woods might have made the biggest jump onto this list after what he did against UT Martin.
The linebacker was everywhere.
Woods finished with five tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and an interception in the 52-7 win. His interception came in the second half and helped cap off a day where the Mountaineer defense kept UT Martin out of the end zone until the final minutes.
After his 2025 season was cut short by a shoulder injury, Woods has come back and already made his presence felt.
The offense has gotten a lot of the attention during WVU’s 2-0 start, but performances like this are exactly what the Mountaineers need from their defense once the schedule gets tougher.
And after Saturday, Woods is definitely someone I will be watching.
Amari Latimer
It’s easy for a running back to get lost in the shuffle when Cam Cook is in the same backfield.
But Amari Latimer is giving WVU another option.
Latimer scored the first touchdown of his college career against UT Martin, breaking free for a 29-yard run in the third quarter. It was another explosive play in a game where WVU seemed to have plenty of them.
Cook is obviously going to get his touches, but having another running back who can come in and make something happen is never a bad problem to have.
We’re only two games into the season, so I am not ready to get carried away just yet. But Latimer has already given us a reason to pay attention when No. 1 gets the ball.
Jack Cassidy
Maybe one of the best surprises through two games is that I haven’t had to worry about the kicker…. that’s a compliment.
Jack Cassidy entered the season in a competition with Nate Flower for the kicking job, but so far, he has taken advantage of his opportunities.
Cassidy knocked through a 38-yard field goal against Coastal Carolina and followed it up with a 35-yarder against UT Martin. He’s also been reliable on extra points while handling kickoff duties.
Kickers usually do not get much attention unless something goes wrong.
So far, Cassidy hasn’t given us much reason to talk about him for the wrong reasons.
And I am perfectly fine with keeping it that way.
It’s Early… But They’re Making an Impact
Two games are not enough to tell us exactly what this WVU team is going to be.
Coastal Carolina made things a little too interesting in the second half of Week 1, while UT Martin gave West Virginia a chance to show what it can do when everything is clicking.
Now the competition is about to get tougher.
But being 2-0 gives us something we haven’t had around here in a while: a chance to actually enjoy September football.
The big names are going to get most of the attention as the season goes on. But if Epps, Woods, Latimer and Cassidy continue making plays, they might not be considered unexpected standouts for much longer.