Two more scholarship players no longer with the WVU Football program

Two scholarship defenders have not practiced with the WVU football team this winter and will not play in the spring. Multiple sources have reported that Zeiqui Lawton, a reserve defensive lineman, and Tirek Austin-Cave, a reserve linebacker, have left the Mountaineer program. While sources tell EerSports that Lawton may be medically resigning from the program, Austin-Cave just announced on social media that he had accessed the portal. Lawton refuted rumors that he was quitting the team in a message sent earlier this month.

After a year or two at their prior college, both players swiftly went to West Virginia to continue their collegiate careers. Austin-Cave played in 17 games for the Hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, largely on special teams, after committing to Miami out of high school. As a true sophomore in 2022, he moved to Morgantown and participated in eleven games, recording one tackle. He participated in three games last season and finished with three tackles, including a half-tackle for loss. Should he pursue his education elsewhere, he would still be eligible for two more years.

Lawton signed with Cincinnati out of South Charleston back in 2021 and redshirted for the Bearcats. He transferred that offseason and committed to the Mountaineers. He did not see any action in 2022, and is listed as having appeared in just one game this past fall, recording one tackle and a half a tackle for loss. Lawton would also have two years of eligibility remaining at his new home.

Even with the departures of Lawton and Austin-Cave, West Virginia is still set to be over the 85-man scholarship limit if no one else leaves and all signees arrive in the summer. Currently, the Mountaineers are set to have 88 players on scholarship.

Stay tuned to EerSports for more on this breaking story.