The Starters
Let’s start with the “starters,” for lack of a better term, as I believe this will be a bit of a misnomer. Right now, it appears that Dvon Ellies and Zane Durant will be the Lions’ starters in Morgantown, with the redshirt senior Ellies leading the way. At 302 pounds, Ellies is the thunder to Durant’s 288 pounds of lightning. Durant pushed his way into the starting lineup in 2023 as a true sophomore and is expected to build on his breakout season.
Key Reserves
As I previously stated, I believe “starter” will be a misnomer because the important reserves at DT will most likely play a similar number of snaps as the top two players. Hakeem Beamon, who feels like he’s been on campus forever, will most likely back up Durant, while Coziah Izzard will play in the rotation alongside Ellies. Beamon, in particular, has started in the past, and depending on how the spring and summer play out, he might be the guy versus the Mountaineers. Regardless, both of these players will play a lot.
In the Mix.
When Jordan van den Berg transferred out of the program, the defensive tackle room received some terrible news. Given the number of experienced players ahead of him, it’s logical that he’d look for more playing time elsewhere, but it hurts the position’s depth.
With his departure, the only genuine scholarship defensive tackle on the roster will be Kaleb Artis, a redshirt sophomore. Artis has already played a complete season for the Blue and White, primarily on special teams. Still, at 6-foot-4 and 317 pounds, Kaleb has the size to get some playing time when the top four need a break.
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