Only One Player Remains From the Dana Holgorsen Era

(Photo by WVU Athletics) 

It seems like only yesterday that Dana Holgorsen was on the sidelines in Morgantown. But as we all know, it wasn’t only yesterday – Holgorsen has now been departed from WVU for nearly five years now. In the time since he left for Houston, the Mountaineers have had the opportunity to build their program under Neal Brown.

Coming from Troy, Brown had his work cut out for him with a cupboard left mostly bare by Holgorsen and his coaching staff. He has recruited well, and for the most part, Holgorsen’s players have all graduated or left the program.

All except for one.

Malachi Ruffin.

Ruffin, who was a central piece of WVU’s defense in 2022, has been on the roster since the 2018 season. Though he redshirted that year, this still technically makes him the final remaining “Dana Holgorsen player” for the Mountaineers.

Whether you see this as a bad thing or a good thing, all of Holgorsen’s fingerprints will be removed from the program following the 2023 season – as Ruffin has one year of eligibility. The North Carolina native will have the opportunity to go up against his old head coach when the Mountaineers visit Houston for a Thursday night matchup on October 12th.