Predicting West Virginia's Sophomore Surprise for the 2025 Season

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated May 19, 2025 12:48 PM ET

There are a handful of options to pick from when trying to predict which sophomore will burst onto the scene and play a significant role for the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2025. Defensive lineman Corey McIntyre Jr. and offensive lineman Nick Krahe are a couple of names that come to mind, but the one I keep coming back to is defensive back Israel Boyce.

Although he saw limited action in eight games as a true freshman, the stage didn't seem too big for him. More often than not, he was in the right spot and had few missed assignments, which is saying something for a defensive secondary that was full of them on a weekly basis. In those eight contests, Boyce totaled 11 tackles, six of which came in the regular season finale against Texas Tech, where he played the majority of the second half.

He picked up in the spring right where he left off in the winter, seemingly cementing himself a role for 2025 under the new coaching staff. How much he'll play and where exactly is still to be determined, but defensive coordinator Zac Alley loved what he saw during the spring.

“I think he’s had an amazing spring, maybe the best of anyone in the secondary. He’s really athletic. He can move, he can cover. He gets downhill, he tackles. He’s not afraid of contact. He’ll knock guys backward; he takes good angles. He’s a really smart football player to be a young kid. He understands the game, and he’s going to make a major impact for us back there this year.”

The Douglasville, Georgia native picked the Mountaineers out of high school over offers from Akron, Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Boston College, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Liberty, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Troy, UAB, UNLV, and several others.

Should he get out to a strong start in fall camp, there's a chance he could be the first player rotated in off the bench at safety come Week 1.