photo by: Kevin Kinder/BlueGoldNews.com

West Virginia linebacker Josiah Trotter (40) fills a hole against running back Jaylen Anderson (0)

MORGANTOWN — This is an exciting time for the Trotter family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Next Thursday or Friday, No. 1 son, Jeremiah Jr., expects to hear his name called out as a first or second-round NFL draft pick after a big-time career at linebacker at Clemson.

Then on that Saturday, it’s expected that No. 2 son, Josiah, will hear his name called out over the sound system at Mountaineer Field for the first time making a tackle as a WVU linebacker.

Not that either is unexpected. If they were race horses, not football players, their bloodline would probably have led them straight to the Kentucky Derby.

Their father, Jeremiah, Sr., was a four-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker during three stints with Philadelphia, which shared his 11-year career with both Washington and Tampa Bay.

Josiah’s Mountaineer debut was pushed back a year due to injury last season after he became one of the jewels of Neal Brown’s 2023 recruiting class; a class that already has distinguished itself with the arrival of running back Jaheim White, a Freshman All-American running back.

While the public has not yet been treated to Trotter’s abilities as a linebacker, his coaches and teammates have and they offer nothing shy of rave reviews.

Treylan Davis, himself a physical tight end sporting 254 pounds of muscle, has stood across the line of scrimmage from Trotter on a regular basis through this spring that is now nearing an end.

“He loves the game,” Davis said. “It just reeks off him, like, he loves it: film, coach Mike [Joseph] in the weight room, everything. He takes it all every day. He plays gritty. He plays fast. His read-keys are fast. He’s there. He knows what’s going on. He’s so alert for such a young guy.”

He then added a PS: “He’s going to be an absolute headache for offenses.”

Jeff Koonz is Trotter’s position coach at linebacker and is ready to see him go against teams in different color uniforms, like maybe the blue of Penn State on opening day in Mountaineer Field.

“He’s a physically imposing guy. He can find the ball and finish plays,” Koonz said of Trotter. “He’s a bigger-bodied guy than we’ve had, so he stands out because of his sheer size. He also has good instincts.”

But what Koonz likes best is his attitude and aptitude.

“The thing he does a great job of to this point, in my opinion, is if he makes a mistake, he makes it full speed and doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He gets it fixed. That’s the same MO for our entire room; if we make a mistake, we get it fixed and it doesn’t happen two or three times.”

That Trotter is opening eyes is not unexpected, for Brown knew right from the start what he was getting.

On Dec. 21, 2022, when Trotter signed with WVU, Brown offered up this Tweet:

The journey to the NFL for Josiah Trotter is starting right here in Morgantown

That the Mountaineers landed him at all was something of a surprise as many expected him to follow his brother and attend Clemson.

At the time of the signing, Jeremiah Trotter Sr. explained it this way to a hometown newspaper:

“We wanted what was best for Josiah, because any of the schools he was interested in, he was going to get a really good degree. Josiah had good relationships with all of the schools (that were interested). What it really came down to was the system. That was the most important thing. I really like their system. I liked how they wanted to use him. I was hearing all of the important things that I wanted to hear.

“We had a really good opportunity to watch and break down film with their DC (Jordan Lesley) and see how they wanted to use him, with their calls and checks. I was very pleased with their coaching style. I was very pleased with their strength and conditioning coach (Mike Joseph), and they say he’s one of the best in the country. You know that matters.

“It was pretty clear to me on our first trip to West Virginia that was the place. But it was Josiah’s choice. We wanted to do our due diligence, and when we took the second trip, I didn’t think it would get any better. It got better than the first time. Josiah started to see the same things I was seeing and he got locked in, too.”

With the return of Trey Lathan, who was emerging as a star linebacker last season before being injured mid-season and missing the rest of the season, and with the development of Ben Cutter at the middle linebacker spot, WVU is expected to take a large step forward on defense this season.

“Getting [Josiah] Trotter back and Trey [Lathan] back, it’s the deepest we’ve been at linebacker the whole time,” defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said.