By james art 
West Virginia is dealing with a number of short-term roster injuries, but the Mountaineers could get some reinforcements back both now and later.
Senior linebacker Eddie Vesterinen injured his knee against Albany after playing well in 46 snaps this season, but has been sidelined since. That won’t change until the end of this year, but Vesterinen has a redshirt year and is expected to use it to return for the 2025 season.
“He still has a redshirt year available. So we’re going to use that,” head coach Neil Brown said.
Vesterinen has spent four years with the program and has played 938 total snaps on defense, which will give West Virginia a very experienced option back on the field next year to help combat the losses of players like Sean Martin and Fatorma Mulba.
“He is progressing well. It will be full in January,” Brown said.
Two freshmen could be back on the field sooner rather than later as offensive lineman Kyle Altner and defensive lineman Corey McIntyre work their way back from offseason lower-body injuries.
“They’re both going to be really good players here,” Brown said.
Altuner put on pads for the first time last week and was expected to compete in some of the development practices during open week.
“I’m so excited about it,” Brown said.
Meanwhile, McIntyre, who played well in the spring and was supposed to be a key member of the rotation, has done well in rehab and is using Altner to help push him on that front. The redshirt freshman is currently about two weeks behind what Altner was, but there’s a chance both could return this year.
“They can both be active in November,” Brown said.