Rich Rodriguez released the first depth chart of the 2026 season on Tuesday, and for the most part, our final projections were pretty spot on. There were a few eyebrow-raisers and some interesting things with certain players not listed. Let's break it all down.Biggest TakeawaysWVU Athletics CommunicationsQuarterbackAs we reported several times throughout fall camp, true freshman Jyron Hughley has turned some heads and is much closer to Scotty Fox than most realize. There is an OR listed between him and veteran Max Brown, but he is the first name listed, and there is a reason for that. They love his playmaking ability and athleticism. There's a good chance he cements himself as QB3 sooner rather than later.Oh, and of course Rich Rod would put an OR between Mike Hawkins and Scotty Fox. Hawkins is listed first, though, and there's a reason for that. He will be the guy on Saturday, which will surprise exactly no one.Running BackWe all knew it would be Cam Cook and Amari Latimer as the one-two punch. After that? There was some guesswork going on there. True freshman Chris Talley has settled in as RB3 with JUCO product Martavious Boswell right behind him. RBs coach Jay Boulware is BIG on Talley's potential.Some clarity at cornerIt was pretty obvious that Chams Diagne and Nick Taylor had earned starting roles, but trying to figure out who the next two guys would be in the rotation was difficult. In my final projection, I went with Keyshawn Robinson and Jaire Rawlison as the primary backups, and that's what the team is rolling with in Week 1. Still expect to see ChaMarryus Bomar, Da'Mun Allen, Rayshawn Reynolds Jr., and Vincent Smith.Biggest SurprisesWVU Athletics CommunicationsOh, Joy!How about the Canadian transfer finding his way on the depth chart? Emerson Joy was one of the later additions coming in from Alberta College and managed to be the third guy listed at EDGE behind Zeke Durham-Campbell and Darius Wiley. Rich Rod did mention earlier in fall camp that they believed he had a chance to help them this year, but I'll be honest, I took that as being a depth piece/special teamer. A surprise at nickelI had Maliek Hawkins as the backup to Geimere Latimer at nickel/sam with Miles Khatri being the No. 3. It appears those two are flip-flopped, although Hawkins is not listed. Khatri, the true freshman, has played well enough to earn that backup role. He was not a headliner in the 2026 recruiting class by any means, but was a guy the staff loved as a bigger body. He played linebacker in high school, so if they want to go with a bigger body there, he'll be their guy in those situations.Three freshman OL in the two-deepKevin Brown was a no-brainer, but how about Aidan Woods and Lamarcus Dillard? Woods is currently listed as the No. 2 at right tackle behind Carsten Casady, and Dillard is the backup to Nick Krahe at left guard. Offensive line coach Rick Trickett hinted at those two being impressive, but seeing them as primary backup options for Week 1 is a little surprising.Notable OmissionsWVU Athletics CommunicationsWhere is Prince?USC wide receiver transfer Prince Strachan was not listed on the team's depth chart, which was a surprise to some degree. He has been banged up and is trying to work his way back from the injury he sustained in the spring. We won't get injury reports throughout the week for a non-conference game, so we won't know whether he is available until pregame warmups.No Landen Livingston in the two-deepAs expected, the veteran center is not officially in the two-deep, although he is listed second in an OR situation with Josh Aisosa. You know you are in a pretty good spot when your starter from last year, who played fairly well, isn't the starter or clear backup the very next season. Wes King and Josh Aisosa now hold those titles.No Malachi HoodThe Illinois transfer was in the mix for the WILL linebacker spot and did not make the two-deep. It's very likely that he is the third option for them there, but also don't be surprised if Ben Cutter and/or Tyler Stolsky see some time there, too. Hood has played a lot of football, so he should see some snaps, but how much is TBD.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow