By: Jonathan K. Martin | WV Sports Chat
West Virginia University’s football program received a surprising blow today as head coach Rich Rodriguez announced during a press conference that running back Jaylan Knighton is currently ineligible to play.
Entering fall camp, the Mountaineers’ running back corps was viewed as one of the team’s strongest units. With returning star Jahiem White and a quartet of experienced players—Jaylan Knighton, Tye Edwards, Kannon Katzer, and Cyncir Bowers—all of whom had prior success at prior stops, optimism was high.
However, injuries and eligibility issues have quickly thinned the roster. Rodriguez revealed that only two running backs, White and Diore Hubbard, are currently available, with others sidelined due to injury or, in Knighton’s case, an unexpected ineligibility ruling.
Knighton, a transfer from SMU, brought a wealth of experience to Morgantown. After playing three seasons at Miami (including a COVID-19 redshirt year in 2020), he followed offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee to SMU, where he appeared in 12 games in 2023.
A season-ending knee injury limited him to just two games in 2024, but his eligibility appeared secure. With a redshirt year and a COVID-19 waiver in hand, Knighton was expected to have one year of eligibility remaining—a calculation that seemed to align with NCAA rules.
Yet, Rodriguez’s announcement during Thursday’s presser threw that assumption into disarray, though he declined to elaborate on the reasons behind the ruling.
