MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Following a productive 2025 season at Troy, DJ Epps arrived at West Virginia this offseason as one of the more heralded players in a large class of transfers.
When Epps entered college in 2022, however, that was anything but the case for the native of Phenix City, Ala., who stayed nearby home to play for the Trojans.
“I actually started as a walk-on, so it’s a little different process being a walk-on than starting on scholarship,” Epps said. “I really had to earn everything I had and I eventually got on the field these last couple years and just took advantage of it.”
Never was that more evident than last year.
After hardly playing over his first three years, one of which Epps used to redshirt, the inside receiver became a household name in the Sun Belt Conference.
Playing for head coach Gerad Parker, a former offensive coordinator at WVU, Epps had a team-high 47 receptions for 512 yards and tied for the team lead with five touchdown catches.
Epps began to show his capabilities early into the 2025 campaign, specifically when he hauled in three passes for 30 yards in a competitive loss at Clemson.
One month later, Epps scored his first touchdown — a go-ahead 11-yard grab in the third quarter during Troy’s 31-24 overtime win against South Alabama.
The next week, Epps had his most productive game yet and caught 10 passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns in a 48-41 overtime win at Texas State. Epps was responsible for 14 of the final 15 points in that contest as he brought in an 18-yard TD and the subsequent two-point conversion to force overtime, before accounting for the winning touchdown catch in the extra session.
“I gained a little confidence, but ultimately, I was just focused on playing well and winning games,” Epps said.
Now a Mountaineer, Epps, who was also a regular kick returner last year at Troy, figures to play a prominent role.
The senior has earned praise from those keeping a close watch on what he does.
“DJ Epps is a really good player,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “Highly productive where he was at. He’s had excellent practices all during camp.”
Logan Bradley, the Mountaineers’ second-year inside receivers coach, went a step further and indicated Epps’ surplus of experience gives him a leg up.
“What I love about Epps is he understands what we’re asking,” Bradley said. “He takes coaching very well, but he can see what happened in front of him, because he’s got the experience, right? So, he can tell when a blitz is coming. He can tell what type of coverage you see. It’s not as much as, ‘Hey, let me teach you this coverage. Let me break this down, Football 101, for you.’ When you do that to him, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I know this. I know that.’
“So, it kind of helps. It makes you, as a coach, comfortable. And then, he puts his head down and works. He’s not surprised by any look that comes his way.”
While transitioning to a power conference program along with many of his new teammates, Epps hasn’t lost sight of what afforded him this opportunity in the first place. Much of it stems around maintaining a simplified and consistent approach
“I would say just being you, staying true to yourself, knowing the work that you put in and being confident in yourself,” Epps said. “That’s really it.”