What’s in store for West Virginia football on defense in 2024?

West Virginia finished the season 9-4 in 2023 and it is a big year for the football program for many different seasons.

So WVSports.com looks at how much the Mountaineers want to return in 2024 in terms of both snaps and production on the defensive side of the ball.

So, what are the Mountaineers coming back with?

–West Virginia returns 9 of its top 20 players from last season in terms of snaps played. That list includes No. 2 S Anthony Wilson (787 snaps), No. 5 S Aubrey Burks (703 snaps), No. 7 DL Edward Vesterinen (518 snaps), No. 9 DL Sean Martin (490 snaps), No. 10 LB Ben Cutter (464 snaps), No. 12 OLB Tyrin Bradley (327 snaps), No. 15 LB Tray Lathan (264 snaps), No. 16 DL Fatorma Mulbah (241 snaps) and No. 20 DL Asani Redwood (137 snaps) ) ).

–Those not returning to West Virginia are No. 1 CB Beanie Bishop (837 snaps), No. 3 LB Lee Kpogba (777 snaps), No. 4 CB Malachi Ruffin (742 snaps), No. 6 OLB Jared Bartlett ( 578 snaps), No. 8 S Marcis Floyd (492 snaps), No. 11 DL Mike Lockhart (409 snaps), No. 13 S Hershey McLaurin (302 snaps), No. 14 DL Tomiwa Durojaiye (270 snaps), No. No. 17 DL Jalen Thornton (217 snaps), No. 18 LB Lance Dixon (182 snaps) and No. 19 Davoan Hawkins (152 snaps).

–Overall, the defensive line wasn’t hit too hard by departures, with only Mike Lockhart, Tomiwa Durojaiye, Jalen Thornton and Davoan Hawkins leaving, totaling 9.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss. But the rest of the defensive line returns a total of 15.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks, along with four of the top eight players on the rotation back.

Related: What will West Virginia football gain on offense in 2024?

–Lockhart will be the biggest loss on the interior as he was responsible for 9 of those tackles for losses, but with Mulbah and Hammond Russell the defensive line comes back a lot. And Durojaiye is by far the biggest loss at the edge with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in limited snaps last season.

–At linebacker, the loss of Kpogba is a tough blow, as he played the third-most snaps on defense and was the leading tackler with 97 stops, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The good news is that the other inside options like Cutter and Lathan will return, while the Mountaineers will welcome back Josiah Trotter after he missed this year due to injury. Cutter, Lathan and Caden Biser combined for 106 tackles and all returned.

–Outside linebacker Bradley returns after playing 327 snaps, converting that into 22 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception. The loss of Bartlett will be felt as he played 50 games in his career and was the starter, but the Mountaineers also addressed this spot in the transfer portal.

–Safety is a mixed bag, as key figures like Burks and Wilson are back after playing a combined 1,490 snaps and 127 tackles and 3 interceptions. But the loss of Marcis Floyd will need to be filled and the program added a pair of transfer safeties in Kekoura Tarnue and Jaheem Joseph.

–No position has been hit harder than cornerback, with 1,579 of the 1,778 snaps played leaving the position with the departures of Bishop and Ruffin. The two also had near-full production with 104 tackles, 5 interceptions and 25 passes defended. This will be the most open spot on the roster, with the coaches bringing in experienced and positive options from the transfer portal in Garnett Hollis, Ayden Garnes, Dontez Fagan and TJ Crandall.