Sep 27, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Khalil Wilkins (14) throws a pass while hit by Utah Utes safety Nate Tilmon (21) during the third quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images Ben Queen-Imagn Images

PFF Grades Confirm WVU Struggles, But Khalil Wilkins’ Grade Raises Eyebrows

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 9:24 AM ET

Just when you thought a 31-point loss to Kansas was a tough pill for the West Virginia Mountaineers to swallow, they followed it up with a 34-point loss to Utah at home, dropping them to 2-3 (0-2) on the season.

This morning, Pro Football Focus finished grading things out, and some of it matches what we saw, but not all of them tell the full story, i.e., Khalil Wilkins.

Offense (minimum 20 snaps)

RB Diore Hubbard - 70.4

WR Cam Vaughn - 69.3

OL Malik Agbo - 64.5

OL Carson Lee - 59.5

QB Khalil Wilkins - 57.8

WR Jeff Weimer - 55.9

WR Justin Smith-Brown - 55.6

OL Nick Krahe - 55.5

OL Walter Young Bear - 54.8

WR Rodney Gallagher III - 53.2

OL Ty’Kieast Crawford - 52.8

OL Donovan Haslem - 45.4

TE Ryan Ward - 42.4

TE Grayson Barnes - 37.5

QB Jaylen Henderson - 35.5

My thoughts

Hubbard and Agbo's grades check out. I thought they both played well when in the game, and I would expect their respective roles to increase, starting this upcoming week vs. BYU. I'd love to know what Wilkins' grade would have been had he not short-armed the throws to Weimer and Ward (the wide-open touchdown) and had he not barely overthrown a wide-open Weimer, which would have likely been a touchdown as well. This is one where I don't think the grade tells the whole story. Lastly, Jaylen Henderson... yikes. He got his first shot at starting, at clearly did not make the most of it. The grade matches what we saw.

Defense (minimum 20 snaps)

CB Nick Taylor - 80.4

LB Reid Carrico - 76.4

DB Derek Carter Jr. - 75.7

LB Ashton Woods - 71.6

BAN Curtis Jones Jr. - 67.9

CB Jason Chambers - 67.0

DL Hammond Russell IV - 67.0

CB Jordan Scruggs - 63.6

BAN Braden Siders - 63.5

CB Michael Coats Jr. - 62.0

DL Edward Vesterinen - 60.6

NB Fred Perry - 57.4

LB Ben Cutter - 56.7

S Justin Harrington - 56.6

DL Asani Redwood - 56.2

BAN Jimmori Robinson - 54.5

S Darrian Lewis - 45.0

DL Eddie Kelly Jr. - 44.9

LB Chase Wilson - 32.6

S Kekoura Tarnue - 29.2

My thoughts

Nick Taylor really jumped out to me, not because of his interception, but because of the physicality he played with. After that outing, he's earned himself a spot in the rotation in the back end. Jimmori Robinson was kept quiet for a second straight week, but I'm not going to make a big deal out of it yet. He went up against a future NFL offensive tackle and one of the best offensive lines in college football in just his second game.

This article first appeared on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: