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MORGANTOWN -- As West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown enters his fourth season in Morgantown, he's never had to worry about the running back room more than right now.
Perhaps "worry" isn't the right word to describe the situation, which will eventually end with him naming a replacement for three-year starter Leddie Brown. But as the graduate has his eyes set on next month's NFL Draft, strategic roster management and effective recruiting have set the Mountaineers up well for what's next at the position.
"We're gonna miss Leddie Brown -- he was a very consistent player for us -- but this is the best room we've had as far as top down, talent-wise," head coach Neal Brown said Tuesday following the team's first practice of the season.
As of now, four contenders are jostling for position, aiming to grab the biggest piece of the pie. Tony Mathis appears to be the early leader, having served as the top reserve last season.
Over 11 games, the Georgia native totaled 312 rushing yards on 72 carries -- dwarfed by Leddie Brown's impact but still providing necessary depth.
"I really like the leadership that [he] is showing," Neal Brown said. "The game has really slowed down for him. He's calm, he feels really confident not only running the football, but his route running is vastly improved -- that's something he wasn't asked to do at Cedartown (High School) -- and his pass protection is better."
Outside of Mathis, the only other candidate with extensive college experience is redshirt senior Lyn-J Dixon, a transfer from Clemson who had a substantial role for the Tigers en route to reaching the national championship in 2018 and 2019.
Across 41 games at Clemson, Dixon has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns despite often being the second option.
"He can run, he's fast, he's a home-run hitter," Brown said. "He's gotta learn what our expectations are for our running backs here, because they're a little bit different than what he was asked to do there.
"It was fast for him today -- but not because of the speed of the game -- he was just eager. He's really eager, and you like to see that because he really wanted to show what he could do, but he can hit the home run."
Justin Johnson Jr., who will be a sophomore this fall, carried the ball 24 times for 90 yards in his first season.
The unit's X-factor is redshirt freshman Jaylen Anderson -- a four-star recruit in 2021 like Johnson who did not see the field last season after academic issues resulted in his late arrival.
"(He) is extremely talented," Brown said. "He had a late start, he's still trying to play himself into position because he's a little heavy ... He's a natural runner, he looks effortless out there. He's got high football intelligence, he's just got to get in shape. He's gonna have a bright future, and we really like his game."
The Mountaineers have 14 more practices to figure it out this spring, followed by the summer and a handful of fall practices, leaving the door open for just about anything to happen.
"Will we have one guy? I don't know; I think to be determined," Brown said. "But I think we'll be more productive as a running back room."
Injury Update
Neal Brown provided updates on two Mountaineers expected to be starters this fall.
Saint McLeod, a key returnee in the team's defensive secondary, will miss all of spring after he was the victim of a stabbing earlier this month.
"It's a little bit (of a) different style injury, so I can't come up here and tell you he's gonna be out four to six weeks -- I don't really know," Brown said. "It's not an injury that our people are dealing with very often, but he's doing well."
Tight end Mike O'Laughlin, who Brown has already said is not in the team's plans for the spring, is already making tremendous strides in his recovery.
"I would confidently say he's ahead of schedule," Brown said. "We expect him to be available and play when we kick that thing off."