2024 WV Team Preview: Cabell Midland Knights

For a discounted subscription to view all of our content, use Code PRZWV30 at checkout for 30% off!   The Cabell Midland Knights will have a nice mix of returners and new faces for the 2024 season as they welcome a new era of Knights football under new Head Coach John Ashworth. While they lose a chunk of talent from last season's 10-2 playoff quarterfinal team, Cabell Midland welcomes back a good core of experienced players to mix with some promising up-and-comers. Cabell Midland has already seen a handful of players in the program receive D1 offers this off-season with more coming up the ranks that could add to that list this season. If the Knights can get through their gauntlet first half of the season schedule on the right side of the W/L column, they should finish on a strong note and could be primed for a run in the playoffs depending on matchups.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2024 TEAM SCHEDULE</h2>   08/30 (-) Open 09/07 (H) Ironton OH at Marshall University 09/13 (A) George Washington 09/20 (H) Spring Valley 09/27 (A) Hurricane 10/04 (H) Huntington 10/11 (A) Musselman 10/18 (H) Parkersburg 10/25 (A) South Charleston 11/01 (H) Capital 11/08 (H) Riverside   2024 Record Prediction: 7-3 2023 Record: 10-2   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">PLAYERS TO KNOW</h2>    The highest-ranked Cabell Midland Knight to know for the 2024 season is 2025 DB [player_tooltip player_id='909076' first='Landon' last='Nida']. A two-sport standout who also excels in baseball, Nida is a tremendous overall athlete with D1 athleticism which has already earned him a football offer from App State before his senior season has begun. He's a safety prospect but should see more snaps on offense this season with RB/WR versatility after some losses from last season's 10-2 team. He's an extremely quick and fast athlete who can cover a lot of ground on the back end of the defense and plays well in space. Nida also has great closing and pursuit speed and is a reliable open-field tackler.   We're eager to see his dynamic playmaking ability more this season on offense and could be one of the top two-way players in the state this season.      Another highly-ranked and talented defensive player for the Knights this season will be 2025 LB/Edge [player_tooltip player_id='1126819' first='Carson' last='Gue']. Gue is also a D1 prospect who has picked up an offer from FCS Eastern Kentucky earlier this year and could add to that list with a strong senior season. He has good length for an OLB/Edge hybrid player at 6'3 220 with the frame to get north of 230 pounds at the next level. Gue has the versatility to be an effective pass rusher and stout in the run game with good speed and quickness off the edge and the strength to be physical between the tackles.   Gue is primed for a breakout season in 2024 after showing flashes of potential dominance as a junior last year.      We're very eager and excited to see 2025 TE [player_tooltip player_id='908112' first='Logan' last='Gillispie'] see a much larger role in 2024 with clear potential to be a high-level prospect. You simply can't teach 6'7 240, and Gillispie can add considerable mass to his frame to become a physically imposing athlete. There isn't much game film to watch from his junior season, but his role as a senior will surely expand and his stock could skyrocket this fall. Don't be surprised to see Gillespie on the rankings stock risers list after the season with a current modest ranking until we see more from him on the field.   Gillispie has visited numerous D1 programs this off-season, and those schools could eventually offer him once they see him perform on the field more as a senior with clear D1 potential.      Cabell Midland has some high-profile offensive linemen in the program with D1 offers, but an under-the-radar OL that you need to know is [player_tooltip player_id='1126404' first='Matthew' last='Edwards']. He picked up his first offer from WV State this summer and is starting to get on those radars heading into his senior year. Film is limited from his junior season and size may keep some colleges away, but Edwards has the talent and ability to play at the D2 level, especially as he gets bigger. He'll be an important piece to their typically prolific running game again this season at guard and is a tough and physical blocker that you expect from Cabell Midland offensive linemen.   Once we see more film from Edwards this season and updated measurables, he has the potential to make a big jump in the rankings and is an OL prospect you need to know in 2024.      A very underrated and under-the-radar 2025 DB prospect to know this season is [player_tooltip player_id='1227646' first='Elijah' last='Pratt']. Pratt was another first-time rankings placer in our summer update and a prospect we got to see in person at our PRZ WV Combine back in May. Here's how we recently described Pratt's game and ability as a prospect in our rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/07/2025-prospects-new-to-the-top-175-pt-2/">New Additions article</a>.   "While he may have some physical limitations, Pratt has one of the highest football IQs in the state which is apparent when watching his junior highlight tape. Pratt does a nice job of overcoming some size deficiencies by having a great understanding of the game and his assignments while putting himself in a good position to make a play. A free safety prospect with the physicality to play strong, Pratt is equally as capable of playing in the box to stop the run as he is dropping into zones in pass coverage. He's a stout athlete for his size with a wrestling and Olympic wrestling background that gives him a big boost as an undersized prospect."      We're looking forward to getting to see some game film from 2025 Cabell Midland DB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='1229688' first='Lance' last='Massey'] this season and having the chance to evaluate him for the first time. Massey is a D2-level prospect who picked up his first offer from WV State in June after a strong camp performance. He's on our Watch List until we can evaluate game film which we hope to get this season with more playing time available for his senior year.   We'll learn more about Massey's game during the fall but he's still certainly worth mentioning among Cabell Midland's prospects to know with more offers sure to come once he posts film.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LanceMassey15/status/1801074236846452809 </div></figure>     A 2025 prospect that we expect to see a considerably bigger role as a senior is FB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='1185705' first='Logan' last='Hobbs']. Hobbs should be a key piece to the Knights' running game as a ball carrier and blocker as they'll be looking for some athletes to step up this season after some big graduation losses in the running game. He may not have your prototypical fullback size at 6'0 185, but Hobbs doesn't shy away from contact and is an athletic option at the position who can be deadly as a ball carrier too. He has good speed and quickness which will help him in both aspects of the position and is someone defenders won't want to see coming full speed at them as a blocker or runner.   Hobbs looks like a small college prospect right now but could raise his stock this season with expanded an varsity role and more film.      2025 WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1225794' first='Marcus' last='Dean'] will be a welcomed addition to the Cabell Midland program after transferring over from Huntington for his senior year. Dean played sparingly for the Highlanders last season in a loaded WR/DB room while producing more on defense with 23 tackles and an interception. He should see more playing time at Cabell Midland who will be looking for skill players to step up after losses from last season's team. Dean is a bit undersized at 5'8 150 but has apparent athleticism in the limited film available from last season that could allow him to be a dangerous slot receiver this year. He appears to have very good speed and quickness with some twitch to be slippery in the open field.   We anticipate Dean having his best season yet with more opportunities at Cabell Midland available.      Cabell Midland has two of the Top 5 offensive linemen in the 2026 class now with [player_tooltip player_id='1106643' first='Ben' last='Guilliams'] leading the way at this time. He's picked up multiple G5 and FCS offers this off-season and will be fighting for that #1 spot in the OL rankings the next two seasons. Guilliams has the potential to reach the P4 level if he keeps progressing during his junior and senior years as he keeps growing and improving. He's an athletic big man with the physicality to match it which makes him one of the more complete prospects in this class at this stage of their development. Guilliams has steadily gotten bigger and stronger and will have his best season yet as a junior.   Look for Guilliams to take another step forward this season and add to his ist of D1 offers with another strong year.      The second 2026 Cabell Midland offensive lineman with D1 talent is [player_tooltip player_id='1138205' first='Caleb' last='Parlier']. Parlier is coming on strong this off-season and making strides as a prospect which has earned him Top 10 honors in our 2026 rankings now. He picked up his first D1 offer from Marshall in May and has added a D2 offer from WV State as well, and his stock continues to rise heading into his junior year. Although not quite as big as Guilliams yet, Parlier has been progressing well in that area and is now in the 6'2 265 range. He may be the most athletic in the Knights' OL group and showed very good footwork and quickness as a sophomore. Parlier also has the physicality typical of Cabell Midland linemen and a strong finisher as a blocker.   Parlier should see more D1 offers this season as his ceiling and stock continue to rise.      An exciting addition to the Cabell Midland program this season will be Hurricane transfer running back [player_tooltip player_id='866255' first='Landon' last='Taylor']. Taylor ranks inside of our 2026 Top 50 and could make a big jump forward with a potential breakout junior season. He saw limited playing time in a loaded RB room at Hurricane and should see an expanded role at Cabell Midland as they'll be looking for running backs to replace a big hole left by some graduated seniors. Taylor produced when he saw the field as a sophomore which leads you to believe he has the potential to put up some big numbers with a starting role. He'll have some stiff competition to be the Knights' go-to running back this season but has the talent to emerge as their workhorse.   Added size since last season has Taylor primed to have his best season yet and a physical presence with quality speed that you expect from Cabell Midland running backs.      A new face that you could see a lot more of this season for the Knights' varsity team is 2026 LB [player_tooltip player_id='1159650' first='Justin' last='Sterling']. We recently placed Sterling just outside of the 2026 Top 50 in our summer rankings update on potential alone as we wait for him to produce more at the varsity level. Sterling will have the opportunity to do so as a junior as the Knights graduated some very talented linebackers from their 2023 team. He clearly has the talent to do just that after earning an offer from WV State this summer before even seeing significant varsity playing time.   Don't be surprised to see him emerge as a junior and a potential stock riser in the rankings and as a prospect with more reps available this season.      Another 2026 prospect for Cabell Midland who could have a breakout year is RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='1234258' first='Caleb' last='Kitchen']. Kitchen ranks inside of the Top 100 on JV film alone and could see a significant increase once we see him perform at the varsity level. He could see snaps on both sides of the ball and could be one of their rotational running backs on offense with Taylor and Hobbs. Kitchens is another nice-sized athlete for their RB group who can keep getting bigger and stronger over the next two years. We were impressed by his sophomore JV film and believe he has a lot of potential as a prospect. Kitchen is nimble and agile for his size and has good footwork and can make defenders miss as a bigger running back. He also has the speed to break loose in the open field and is a well-rounded RB at this stage of his development.   We'll be watching to see if he can carve out a varsity role this season and show the high potential at the varsity level that we saw on the JV team.      Another Hurricane transfer that could really bolster the Cabell Midland offense is 2026 QB [player_tooltip player_id='894669' first='Eian' last='Duffy']. He's another prospect who got stuck behind a talented group of players at his former program but could earn the starting job at Cabell Midland this season. The Knights were in need of a new QB1 after the graduation of highly-touted Robert Shockey and Duffy will have the opportunity to take over. He showed a lot of potential the past two seasons on the Redskins' younger squads and has the talent to become a very good varsity starter for Cabell Midland. While not the biggest athlete, Duffy has shown he has the arm talent to play at the next level and will have a cast of talented players around him this season that will help him greatly if he wins the starting job.   We anticipate Duffy being the starter in 2024 and a likely ranking stock riser if he's able to produce at the varsity level against some tough competition.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 PROSPECTS TO KNOW</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='1272160' first='Malachi' last='Brown'] - DL | #6 Overall   [player_tooltip player_id='920539' first='Eli' last='Thompson'] - TE/DL | #19 Overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1185571' first='Keian' last='Shelton'] - TE | #24 Overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1154944' first='Braeden' last='Armstead'] - OL | #27 Overall   [player_tooltip player_id='1331242' first='Bryson' last='Smith'] - WR | Watch List

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