Although West Virginia’s performance overall in Saturday’s loss to Penn State was underwhelming, one bright spot for the Mountaineers was redshirt linebacker Josiah Trotter, who was playing in his first collegiate game.
Trotter redshirted last year due to a knee injury that required surgery. This year allowed Trotter to learn the ins and outs of college football first handedly and he ultimately made a splash against the Nittany Lions as WVU’s leading tackler with 10 total tackles (five solo) and picked up a pass defended.
“Josiah Trotter played well,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said.
Brown was encouraged by Trotter’s performance against Penn State, highlighting him as one of the few Mountaineers he thought played well. Trotter received an 82.9 PFF grade, which led the Mountaineers.
“He’s exactly what we thought, he’s a great player,” Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said of Trotter.
Trotter comes from a football family: His dad, Jeremiah Sr., is a Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer, and his brother, Jeremiah Jr., is entering his second season in the NFL and also plays for the Eagles. With his background, coaches have praised Trotter’s preparation and work ethic over the offseason.
Trotter looks to build off a solid performance when the Mountaineers host UAlbany on Saturday. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. EST and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
