Morgantown, West Virginia – While the West Virginia Mountaineers have struggled on the field this season, one player has stepped up and taken his game to an entirely new level.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Sam James, who has had extreme difficulties with drop passes in the past, has completely transformed into one of West Virginia’s most reliable receivers this season.
James, who has 22 receptions for 302 yards and 3 receptions for the Mountaineers this season, is settling into his role and has become one of the very few bright spots for West Virginia this season.
Neal Brown has always believed in James and thinks that his issue with dropping passes had to do with him being forced into becoming the lead wide receiver as a freshman.
“He got pressed into duty,” Brown said of James. “He was our go-to receiver in 2019. He wasn’t ready for it, but that was what we needed him to be, and he had some big successes, but he also had some moments that were tough to overcome.”
“Last year, a little bit of a mixed bag,” Brown said. “Now, I think the great lesson for him, and really for the people on our team, is that his investment has been so high that he’s reaping the benefits. He’s always out there working. He’s always had speed. He’s always had talent. Now his investment is extremely high and so it’s starting to show up on game days.”
While it’s been a tremendously difficult season for the West Virginia Mountaineers as a whole, Sam James has been a real success story and an absolute joy to watch on the field.
