West Virginia football has a rich tradition. The program has won the most games of any college football program in the country, to not win a national championship. The Mountaineers got close a few times, having an undefeated season in 1993 and losing in the national title game to Notre Dame during the 1988 season. The program has also had a ton of very talented players come through Morgantown, but there are ten in particular who truly stick out. These are the 10 greatest West Virginia football players of all time, based on how they impacted the program.
10. Bruce Irvin, DE
Bruce Irvin had a short career in Morgantown, playing for just two seasons in 2010-2011. He left his mark on the program. Irvin finished his career as fifth all-time at the school in sacks, per WVU Communications. In just two years, he recorded 24 sacks. He had the third best season for sacks at West Virginia football in 2010, when he recorded 14 sacks.
Irvin's time at the school was prosperous. West Virginia won the Orange Bowl in Irvin's final season, whipping Clemson 70-33 in one of the most explosive offensive performances in bowl history. The defensive end was awarded with a first round NFL Draft selection, in the 2012 draft. He was taken by the Seattle Seahawks with the 15th overall pick.
9. Jeff Hostetler, QB
Jeff Hostetler worked under center for the West Virginia football program in 1982 and 1983. He quarterbacked the team in one of the program's most important victories. With Hostetler, WVU defeated 9th ranked Oklahoma in the 1982 season. He led the program to a Gator Bowl that year. Then in his final season, he led WVU to a come-from-behind win over Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Bowl.
He finished his Mountaineers career with 4,251 total passing yards. His guidance led West Virginia to a top 10 ranking during the 1983 season, under coach Don Nehlen. With Hostetler, WVU got as high as no. 4 in national polls, the first time the program received a top 5 ranking in nearly 30 years.
Hostetler went off to have a great NFL career, winning two Super Bowls.
8. Avon Cobourne, RB
West Virginia has fielded several outstanding rushers in program history. Avon Cobourne, however, may be the best of them all. Cobourne played for the program from 1999-2002. He rushed for 5,164 total yards in his career. He is the all-time rushing leader in the Big East Football Conference.
Cobourne holds several rushing records at WVU. He is the school's all-time rushing leader. He also is the leader in rushing attempts. The talented back had 28 games with at least 100 rushing yards, another school record. West Virginia won a Music City Bowl game in 2000 with Cobourne, in what was Don Nehlen's final season with the school. The rusher had 139 yards in the game.
7. Marc Bulger, QB
Marc Bulger is one of several quarterbacks on this list. He finished his WVU career with 8,153 passing yards. That was second all-time at the school. Bulger also threw for at least 300 yards in nine different games in his Mountaineer career. He helped lead the Mountaineers to some of their best seasons in 1996-1999.
Bulger went on to a great NFL career, playing for several franchises. He was part of the infamous 2000 NFL Draft quarterback class that included Tom Brady.
6. Geno Smith, QB
Geno Smith is the all-time passing yards leader at West Virginia. Smith threw for a total of 11,662 yards. He had 17 games with at least 300 passing yards. He led WVU to an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson in the 2011 season.
Smith's greatest performance came in the 2012 campaign. West Virginia won its first game as a member of the Big 12 conference, defeating Baylor 70-63. In a game that featured absolutely no defense, Smith put up an astonishing 656 yards passing. He also threw a whopping eight touchdowns. Talk about video game numbers.
Smith has gone on to have a long NFL career as a quarterback.
5. Sam Huff, LB
Sam Huff is a name that many college football fans may not recognize. He played at West Virginia from 1952-1955. Huff though was a mainstay on a West Virginia defense that frequently found itself ranked in national polls. WVU went 31-7 in the four years Huff was at the school. He also helped the team reach a Sugar Bowl berth in 1954, losing to Georgia Tech.
Huff finished his WVU career with All-American Honors, and was named the captain in the 1955 Senior Bowl. He also was captain of the East-West Shrine game that season. Huff played guard and tackle at WVU, before a long NFL career as a linebacker.
4. Darryl Talley, LB
Another outstanding defensive player in Morgantown was Darryl Talley. Talley is the WVU all-time leader in tackles, with 484. He played for the Mountaineers from 1979-1982. He finished his career with 19 sacks and five interceptions.
Talley was the heart of the team's defense in the 1981 season, when West Virginia football won the Peach Bowl over Florida. Talley finished that game with seven tackles, including two tackles for loss. It was an important victory for the Mountaineer program.
3. Major Harris, QB
Major Harris quarterbacked the Mountaineers in their most important season of all-time. The 1988 team defeated the highly touted Penn State Nittany Lions, en route to an undefeated season. Harris used his arm and his legs to carry that team to the national championship game. Harris got hurt in the title game, and the Mountaineers lost to Notre Dame.
Harris finished his WVU career with 5,173 passing yards. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist for his work on that special 1988 team.
2. Tavon Austin, WR and KR
Tavon Austin just oozed talent and excitement. The wide receiver also played kick returner for the Mountaineers, and he did a fabulous job. Austin scored four kickoff return touchdowns in his career, which is tied for a school record. He had two 100-yard kick return touchdowns, against Marshall and Kansas State.
Austin also is the school's all-time leader in receptions, with 288. He finished his career at West Virginia with 3,413 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns. He rushed for six additional touchdowns.
In his most memorable performance, Austin finished a game against Oklahoma in 2012 with 344 rushing yards.
1. Pat White, QB
Last but not least is quarterback Pat White. White led the Mountaineers to four bowl victories from 2005-2008. He helped the program win a Sugar Bowl in 2006 over Georgia, and a 2008 Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma. WVU was one of the best college football programs in the country during those years, nearly making the national championship in the 2007 season.
White set the NCAA football record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He finished his career with 4,480 rushing yards. Michigan's Denard Robinson would go on to break the record by just a handful of yards.
West Virginia football starts their 2024 season on August 31 against Penn State.
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