MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Redshirt freshman Cody Saunders, projected to be West Virginia’s No. 3 quarterback next season, has been forced to step away from football because of an injury, the school announced Monday.
Coach Dana Holgorsen said the 2016 signee from Panama City, Fla., plans to remain at WVU and pursue his degree in management.
“Cody has a medical issue that is keeping him from playing quarterback,” Holgorsen said. “He is going to medically redshirt and will finish his degree. We would like to thank him for his contributions to Mountaineer Football.”
While the timing and extent of Saunders’ injury was not revealed, it was curious that he did not appear during the April 15 spring game. One day later, quarterback David Isreal of Butler (Kan.) Community College committed to WVU with plans to enroll this summer.
The 6-foot-2 Saunders, a starter for three seasons at Arnold High in the Florida Panhandle, was rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, three stars by 247sports and two stars by Rivals. He compiled nearly 7,000 yards of offense in the high school ranks and chose West Virginia over offers from Southern Miss and South Florida.
As of late March, new play-caller Jake Spavital said Saunders was competing with Chris Chugunov for the Mountaineers’ backup spot behind Will Grier.
“Cody is talented. He looks the part,” Spavital said. “You can tell he’s a lot more athletic and you can do a lot more with the run game. He can make the throws as well.”
West Virginia also remains in pursuit of Miami transfer Jake Allison, a 2016 four-star recruit who’s on the move after one season because the Hurricanes are tailoring the offense to dual-threat quarterbacks. Allison held offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri and South Florida.