West Virginia true freshman Kevin Brown has already done something no Mountaineers offensive lineman had accomplished in six years. Brown started at left tackle in WVU’s 31-24 season-opening win over Coastal Carolina, making him the first true freshman offensive lineman to start for the program since Zach Frazier did it in 2020. WVU highlighted the milestone this week while previewing Saturday’s matchup with UT Martin.
That is a meaningful piece of history for a player who has barely begun his college career. Brown arrived at West Virginia as a four-star legacy recruit and the son of former Mountaineers offensive lineman Tim Brown, then earned enough trust from Rich Rodriguez’s staff to protect quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.’s blind side immediately. Starting a true freshman on the offensive line is rare enough, but doing it at left tackle says plenty about how highly WVU views Brown’s ability and readiness.
Kevin Brown Joins Rare West Virginia Company
Rodriguez did not pretend Brown’s first college game was flawless, but his assessment was overwhelmingly positive.
“There were a couple of freshman mistakes in there, but for a true freshman playing for the first time, I was really proud of him,” Rodriguez said.
The comparison to Frazier should stop at the milestone for now. Brown has played one college game, while Frazier eventually became one of the most accomplished offensive linemen in recent West Virginia history. Still, Frazier’s own freshman achievement shows how uncommon Brown’s opportunity really is.
Frazier started nine of 10 games as a true freshman in 2020 and became WVU’s first true freshman offensive lineman to start dating back to at least 1980. He earned True Freshman All-America honors that season before developing into an All-American, three-year captain and multiple-time All-Big 12 selection. Brown does not deserve those expectations after one appearance, but becoming the next player trusted enough to clear that initial hurdle is noteworthy.
Brown’s Early Trust Could Matter for WVU’s Future
The significance of Brown’s start is not that West Virginia has already found the next Zach Frazier. It is that the last true freshman offensive lineman talented and prepared enough to earn this type of responsibility became one of the program’s best modern success stories. Brown has already shown enough to put himself in a category WVU has rarely used for first-year linemen.
Now comes the much harder part: proving that the first start was only the beginning. Brown will continue learning against increasingly difficult defensive fronts as West Virginia moves deeper into its schedule, and freshman mistakes are almost guaranteed to happen along the way. But earning the starting left tackle job immediately and becoming the first Mountaineer since Frazier to reach this milestone gives WVU fans a legitimate reason to remember his name.
West Virginia Freshman Accomplishes Rare Feat Not Seen Since Zach Frazier