MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Quondarius Qualls may get the call for West Virginia against Texas this week.
Qualls, a senior linebacker who has been out all season after tearing his ACL in spring practice, is ready to return to the field according to Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen.
“We’ll be able to turn him loose real quick and be able to get the year back,” Holgorsen said during his Monday night radio show.
Qualls can play in as many as four games this season and retain eligibility for next year. There are four regular-season games left to play for the No. 12 Mountaineers (6-1, 4-1 Big 12), but the possibility of the conference championship game and a bowl game add to that total.
Qualls primarily played on special teams last season, but went into the spring as West Virginia’s No. 1 option at the Sam linebacker position. He tore an ACL in March, putting that plan on hold. Just a couple weeks later, the Mountaineers also lost fellow linebacker Brendan Ferns to an ACL tear.
The lack of depth forced defensive coordinator Tony Gibson to innovate as he moved safety JoVanni Stewart to the starting Sam linebacker spot. Getting Qualls back is a shot in the arm for a unit that has been without starting middle linebacker Dylan Tonkery the past two games.
Qualls, a transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College, had 10 tackles for West Virginia last season.