MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU offensive line coach Matt Moore was ecstatic last offseason when all five starting linemen returned for the 2022 season. This time around, four out of the five are back again.

Three WVU offensive linemen earned a spot on Phil Steele’s preseason All-Big-12 team, and the Mountaineers are expected to have one of the best offensive lines in the conference.

Our roster review series continues with a look at West Virginia’s offensive line:

LT – Sophomore Wyatt Milum

Milum, a fourth-team preseason All-Big 12 left tackle, started all 12 games for WVU last season. He started eight games as a freshman and earned three Freshman All-American honors.

The top signee of the 2021 class will now enter his second season as the full-time starting left tackle. He has experience playing both tackles, which is notably important this year, with both a right-handed and a left-handed quarterback competing for the starting job. He is used to protecting the blind side on either type of quarterback.

He didn’t allow a sack or record a missed assignment in eight of the 12 games last season.

LG – Redshirt sophomore Tomas Rimac

Rimac rounds out a “pretty solid” left side of the offensive line, per Moore. He appeared in all 12 games in 2022, with five of those appearances being starts. He filled in for James Gmiter towards the end of the season after Gmiter missed the last four games with an injury.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 314-pound offensive lineman from Brunswick, Ohio, was a three-star recruit and the No. 18 prospect out of Ohio in the Class of 2021.

C – Junior Zach Frazier

The “C” that frequently precedes First-Team All-Big 12 center Zach Frazier takes on many meanings, and he certainly is the captain of the offensive line. Frazier is also a First-Team Preseason All-Big 12 center, per Phil Steele, and he is on ESPN’s “way-too-early” All-America team.

In 2022, he allowed just one sack. He recently received high praise when Jim Nagy, the director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, applauded his film and insinuated that Frazier will receive an invite to the Senior Bowl this winter.

The former Fairmont Senior star has started 34-of-35 games since stepping foot onto campus in Morgantown.

RG/RT – Redshirt junior Doug Nester

Nester is enjoying a nice return to his home state after transferring to WVU from Texas Tech following the 2020 season. The Spring Valley High School graduate started all 13 games in 2021 while fighting through a hand injury. Then, in 2022, he started 11-of-12 last season, missing the TCU game with a leg injury.

He was named to Phil Steele’s Preseason All-Big 12 third team in June, and repped at right guard and right tackle in the spring.

RG/RT – Redshirt junior Ja’Quay Hubbard

Hubbard started his career in Morgantown playing left tackle, but he finds himself competing for a spot on the right side of the offensive line this year after making 11 starts at the position in 2022.

He has credited his recent success to his discipline in his nutrition and fitness routine, which has seen him gain strength while leaning out.

RG/RT – Redshirt junior Brandon Yates

Yates earned rotational snaps at right tackle with Hubbard in 2022 after starting all 13 games at left tackle in 2021. He battled injuries early in the offseason that hindered the effectiveness of his full-time move to right tackle, and he should have an opportunity to compete for the starting job at right tackle or right guard.

G/T – Redshirt junior Nick Malone

Malone, a Morgantown High School graduate, provided depth at both tackle positions and was a key special teams presence in 2022. His one career start came in 2021 against Oklahoma State.

He will be another valuable piece for Moore upon injury or other drastic circumstances.

Check out some of our previous roster reviews: