MORGANTOWN — Usually, Wyatt Milum’s job as a left tackle is to keep pressure off of his quarterback. Now, Milum is the one dealing with pressure as he looks to step up as the leader on West Virginia’s offensive line.
Milum has been a starter since he first stepped foot on campus, starting eight games as a true freshman in 2021 and every game when he’s been healthy since. However, Milum has never had to be ‘the guy’ for the Mountaineers.
During Milum’s entire time at WVU, the Mountaineers had Zach Frazier and Doug Nester to lead the offensive line. With both of them now graduated, that responsibility falls to Milum.
“The pressure on Wyatt is to step in and be the leader that Zach was,” WVU coach Neal Brown said this week. “Because now he’s the best player in that room and he’s ready for that.”
Not only has Milum had Frazier and Nester during his entire college career, he even had Nester in high school as the pair went to Spring Valley together.
“It’s a new world for him because even in high school he had Doug there,” Brown said.
“I grew up with Doug, I played with Doug in high school until my sophomore year,” Milum said Friday. “Then coming here and having Frazier and Doug since I was a freshman, they really helped me grow as a player and taught me about the game.”
Just like he did for the Timberwolves back in high school, Milum needs to once again step into the leadership role Nester has left behind.
“Doug, my sophomore year, was our leader in high school,” Milum explained. “So now it’s basically the same thing, Doug and Frazier are gone so now it’s my turn to step up and be the leader of the group.
“It’s a little different. Now I’m just trying to be the best player I can be and help the younger guys.”
Milum and Nester’s relationship goes far beyond the football field and even beyond their high school days.
“We grew up together,” Milum said. “The first place he stayed all night was my house. I’ve known Doug since I was a little kid.”
Not only did they play in high school together — where they helped SV reach three-straight Class AAAA state championships from 2016-19 — but they also played beside one another when Milum got to college.
“When I played right tackle, Doug played right guard, so he helped me out a lot,” Milum said.
Milum flipped to left tackle after a year and Nester eventually kicked out to right tackle.
“Me and Doug always had a good connection when we were playing together,” Milum said. “It was awesome to play with Doug, especially playing in high school and then going to college together.”
Nester is currently training for the NFL Draft later this month. Milum hopes that after a good senior season, he can join his longtime friend in the pros.
“Hopefully, someday we might be able to play together again,” he said.
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