Virginia
West Virginia linebacker Trey Lathan excited for defense's development, looks to make impact after 2023 injury
As spring training progresses, West Virginia football inches closer to the highly anticipated spring game scheduled for April 27th. Recently this past Friday’s spring practice session, Mountaineer linebacker Trey Lathan stepped up to the plate to share his insights on the team’s preparations and his outlook for the upcoming season.
Hailing from the football-rich grounds of Gulliver Prep High School in Goulds, Florida, Lathan, a redshirt sophomore, brings a wealth of talent to the defense. He also holds lofty expectations for the team’s performance this year on that side of the ball.
“This year, our defense is more hungry.” Lathan told the press with a smile. “It’s the best defense we’ve had since I’ve been here. Everyone’s running to the ball, and the mentality is different.”
“We just try to go out there and we try to beat our offense every day because that’s the team that we’re going against. So we try to beat our offense. We’re very competitive and I think that’s what’s really got us going.”
Lathan also gave an update how that most recent practice went — and he felt there is still room for improvement among the group.
“I felt like as a defense, we played good, but we could have played better,” he said. “We obviously left some plays out there on the field and just got to come back on Monday and fix those corrections.”
With the additions Reid Carrico from Ohio State and a pair of 3-star Class of 2024 commits in Rickey Williams and Curtis Jones, the linebacker room is looking to be much deeper than last year. West Virginia currently has 9 linebackers on the roster, but it’s a younger group too — the oldest member of the position group is a redshirt junior.
We got a lot of more guys, that’s going to help us this year,” Lathan said.
Lathan unfortunately saw his season end early last year with an injury, and is looking to bounce back this year.
“I fractured my tibia and my fibula, basically snapped in half,” he said. “So, they had went and repaired it, put a rod and four screws…I was doing good, I felt like I was getting better each and every week. A lot of things were starting to come clear once I started playing more and getting more snaps.”
Even moments after the injury, it did not stop Lathan from wanting to be with the team.
“My mom, because my mom was crying so much, but I’m trying to ask Patrick, ‘What’s the score of the game? What’s going on in the game?,” he said. “And then he just gave me his phone and I’m watching the game, as I’m on the way to the hospital.”
And his reaction after the Mountaineers earned the win over TCU following Lathan leaving the field in an ambulance?
“I was happy,” he said. “I was happy the whole time. I honestly forgot I was even hurt. I was just, it felt like I was out there with my team.”
Lathan looked to the positive side when he was challenged in a way he’s never experienced before.
“Yeah, I’ve been hurt before. Not to that extent though,” Lathan said. “Football is gonna be over for me one day and I understand that, and then just being there for my teammates, just trying to figure out a bigger role than the other, obviously I can’t play. Just trying to be there supporting them in every way I can.”
Regardless of the adversity Lathan has encountered in the last few months he has shown that it will not phase him to being the best player he can be. Lathan’s resilience shines through as he looks forward to making a strong comeback. His unwavering support for his teammates and his perspective on the transient nature of football underscore a maturity beyond his years, signaling not just a player, but a leader in the making. With Lathan’s determination and the team’s unified drive, the Mountaineers are poised for an impactful season ahead, poised to overcome challenges and reach new heights together.
Virginia
Sunshine State Bound Wolverines Ready for Virginia Tech at Fort Myers Tipoff – University of Michigan Athletics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan men’s basketball team (4-1) hits the road to take on Virginia Tech (3-2) at the Fort Myers Myers Tip-Off on Monday (Nov. 25) at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Opening tip is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on FS1.
Notes
• There will be eight teams in two divisions competing in the Fort Myers Tipoff. Michigan is among four teams in the Beach Division along with South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Xavier. The Palms Division features Miami (Ohio), Jacksonville, Mercer and Siena.
• The Maize and Blue faces Virginia Tech in its Beach Division opener on Monday. After a prep day, Michigan plays either South Carolina or Xavier in the consolation (6 p.m.) or championship (8:30 p.m.) on Wednesday (Nov. 27).
• After Thanksgiving, the Michigan women’s team plays at the Fort Myers Tipoff, in Shell Division play. Kim Barnes Arico’s Wolverines open with Belmont (Nov. 29; 2 p.m.) and play either Virginia Tech or Davidson on Saturday (Nov. 30) in the consolation (2 p.m.) or championship (5 p.m.).
• Michigan is 4-2 all-time against Virginia Tech. After winning the first four games in the series, the Wolverines have dropped the last two. U-M faces Virginia Tech for the first time in eight years, last playing in 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Crisler Center. All six games in this series have been part of a tournament or specialty event.
• Michigan is 3-3 all-time against South Carolina. The Wolverines could face the Gamecocks for the first time in six years, with the teams having faced off in the second game of a home-and-home series played in 2018. There have been three games in Ann Arbor, and two in Columbia. The lone neutral-site game was the championship of the 2006 NIT in Madison Square Garden (U-M lost 76-64).
• Michigan is 3-1 all-time against Xavier. Two of the four games have been played in the postseason. The first came in the 1984 NIT quarterfinals — a 63-62 U-M win — as the Wolverines went on to claim their first NIT title. The second was in the 1989 NCAA first round — a 92-87 U-M win — which was the launching point for the Maize and Blue on its way its first national championship. The last meeting between the Wolverines and Musketeers was in the 2015 Gavitt Games (Big Ten vs. Big East) at Crisler Center — nine years ago (U-M lost 86-70).
• ?Michigan wrapped up a three-game homestand (3-0) and improved to 4-1 overall. Now, U-M plays five of its next six games on the road. The Wolverines will be away from Ann Arbor for seven of its next 10 games.
• U-M is shooting 52.8 percent from the field, which ranks 15th nationally. Seven Wolverines are shooting above 50 percent as Tre Donaldson leads U-M shooting 62.2 percent (23-for-37).
West Virginia Mountaineers: Commitment 101: Jahmir Davis
Cincinnati (Oh.) La Salle 2025 offensive tackle Jahmir Davis has committed to West Virginia.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder, picked the Mountaineers after a weekend official visit to campus where he earned a scholarship offer from the Big 12 Conference program.
The Buckeye State product also held offer from Marshall and Kent State but had been on the West Virginia radar since the summer.
That interest picked up over the past several weeks after a strong senior season where he earned Division II Southwest District All Star first-team selection honors.
Davis was recruited by recruiting coordinators Trey Neyer and Ken Signoretti and then developed into a connection with offensive line coach Matt Moore.
The offensive tackle fills a need for West Virginia in the 2025 class and becomes the third offensive lineman to commit to the program this cycle behind Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Gavin Crawford and Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive lineman Eidan Buchanan.
Overall, Davis is the 23rd prospect to commit to West Virginia in the 2025 class.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Davis and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Davis possesses excellent size and good athleticism for an offensive tackle. He also has an impressive wingspan which is going to help him in his role at the position. An under-the-radar type, West Virginia has had a lot of success over the years with identifying these athletic body types and molding them for their roles along the offensive front and Davis has the potential to do the same.
The Mountaineers needed to find another tackle type body in this class and Davis checks that box physically, while also impressing with his play on the field as a senior.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia needed more offensive tackle body types in the program with the Mountaineers set to lose both of their starters from the 2024 season to graduation. Buchanan is a major piece to that puzzle, but Davis is also is exactly what the doctor ordered. An intriguing frame, with plus athleticism, Davis is going to need to develop his body at the college level and fill out but has the physical qualities that you’re looking for at tackle.
The offensive lineman has already visited Morgantown so there is a comfort level there and he should be able to step and in start that process in an offensive line room that will lose four players at the end of the year.
West Virginia has continued to make Ohio a key state when it comes to targeting players and Davis is just the latest to join the program in the past couple seasons.
Recruiting the position:
In terms of offensive tackles Davis fills the need there but the Mountaineers are still recruiting one key target on the offensive line in Ohio commitment Parma (Oh.) Padua Franciscan 2025 offensive lineman Brandon Homady. Like Davis, Homady took an official visit over the weekend to Morgantown and the Mountaineers have made him a priority down the stretch as an interior option on the offensive front.
———-
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – The West Virginia Parkways Authority is expecting an estimated 715,100 total transactions to take place at the West Virginia Turnpike’s three toll booths in the six-day Thanksgiving holiday travel period from Tuesday, November 26, 2024, to Sunday, December 1, 2024.
“Wednesday and Sunday of Thanksgiving week are typically two of the busiest travel days we experience on the West Virginia Turnpike during the entire year” said Jeff Miller, executive director of the Parkways Authority.
On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, 150,000 transactions are expected to take place on the West Virginia Turnpike, with 160,000 transactions expected on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
A total of 127,500 transactions are expected on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, with heavier traffic from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; 65,000 transactions estimated on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28, 2024; and 82,500 transactions estimated on Friday, November 29, 2024. On Saturday, November 30, 2024, the West Virginia Parkways Authority estimates 127,500 transactions at Turnpike toll booths.
Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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