Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sport Reese Strickland

The Mountaineers lost Clint Trickett earlier than they thought they would last season when he was forced to retire from the game altogether because of concussions. While it was a big blow to West Virginia, it gave his backup, rising junior Skyler Howard, a chance to garner some real experience behind center. Howard rose to the occasion when he had to fill in for Trickett mid-game against K-State, but he was inconsistent in his subsequent starts, particularly in a Liberty Bowl loss to Texas A&M. While it's still early, head coach Dana Holgorsen appears to be leaning towards handing Howard the starting job at the beginning of the season, but there's more than likely to be a shift in the depth chart during the season, as WVU also has dual-threats William Crest and David Sills in line for the starting gig.