Football weather has arrived, and you can feel it. We’re now just days away from the start of another Mountaineer football season, and the optimism — warranted or otherwise — is officially here.

On this episode of Three Guys Before The Game, Hoppy Kercheval, Brad Howe and I continue our preseason over/under discussion with a couple of numbers that produced plenty of debate.

First, we take a closer look at true freshman running back Armari Latimer. Rich Rodriguez has a history of playing talented freshmen, but just how large will Latimer’s role become behind Cam Cook? We set the number at 67.5 carries and dig into 20 seasons of Rich Rodriguez history to determine whether Latimer goes over or under.
Then we turn to the Mountaineer defense and one of the more interesting statistical stories from last season. West Virginia opponents fumbled 25 times, but WVU recovered only nine of them. Is some positive turnover regression coming in 2026? We put the Mountaineers’ fumble recovery percentage at 40 percent and make our picks.
We also discuss the continued evolution of NIL and eligibility rules, why the line between college and professional sports desperately needs some clarity, and the natural preseason tendency for every fan base to believe its team is better than it actually is.

Plus, plenty of Textual Healing, some outstanding West Virginia connections from around the world, and a preview of what’s ahead as we officially enter game week.