MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Even when Ja'Quay Hubbard was little, he was big … bigger than most. But a conversation he once had with his godfather, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Mike Adams, really hit home.
 
Adams told him, "Ja'Quay, the leaner you stay, the longer you play."
 
Hubbard, well north of 350 pounds during his freshman season at Virginia, decided it was time to make some dramatic changes in his life. Late-night fried chicken, burgers and pizzas were out. Salads and much earlier meals were in.
 
From then until a couple of years ago, Hubbard lost approximately 100 pounds. Not only did he turn himself into a viable, starting offensive lineman for a Power 5 football program, but he also most likely added years to his life.
 
He admits becoming a better football player was the catalyst to getting into better shape.
 
"The doctors would say, 'Well, you are not worried about your health?' Well, I was, but honestly, I was more worried about being able to pull and pick up a linebacker," Hubbard said recently.
 
Whatever it takes, right?
 
I know a person (me) who once got talked into spending $500 for a couple of athletic-fitting suits, only to realize afterward that they didn't fit too well around the caboose. Therefore, to make it worth it, some weight needed to be lost.
 
Some people are competitive, others are cheap, so motivations can vary. For Hubbard, he wanted to become a good college football player and weighing as much as he did just wasn't going to cut it.
 
"It's going to sound cliché, but I just became more disciplined," he explained. "I knew, 'Okay, if I eat this it's going to stick to me' or basically not eating too late. I think that was the biggest one. My problem was I would eat right before bed and your body needs time to digest. I started drinking green tea and just little stuff like that. My nutritionist helped me throughout the way. I had extra workouts and extra conditioning with coach Mike (Joseph) too."
 
Soon, dropping five pounds turned into 10, then 20, then 40 and eventually 80. When he got down to around 300 pounds, he realized he no longer had the strength to push around guys as big as him. 
 
That's how he determined that "317-to-320 pounds" was probably the ideal weight for his 6-foot-5-inch frame.
 
"I'm competitive, 'Okay, I've got my weight down and now I need to get stronger. Now I've got to get my football IQ up.' It's a constant battle, and every day I'm learning something," he explained. 
 
Hubbard, who recently earned his bachelor's degree in communications studies, has turned into the go-to guy on the team when it comes to weight loss and nutritional advice. He doesn't eat late at night because he says your body needs more time to process the food you eat.
 
He keeps his house cool all the time because he says it helps your body regulate the food you eat, and he keeps his bedroom dark so he can get a restful night's sleep.
 
"I try to give people tips but sometimes I have to be like, 'They don't want to lose weight like I did. Calm down a little bit,'" he laughed. "We have some incoming freshmen who have been dealing with weight loss and I give them some tips like, 'You don't want to eat that - trust me, because tomorrow you are going to feel it.'"
 
It's remarkable what Hubbard has done to put himself into a position to become a multi-year starter at WVU, a school that really wasn't too interested in him when he played high school football at Sharpsville High in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, located less than 150 miles from Morgantown.
 
Hubbard played in a Wing T offense in high school and was being recruited by other Division I programs when West Virginia was transitioning from Dana Holgorsen to Neal Brown. He ended up picking Virginia and played one season for the Cavaliers as a true freshman in 2019 before hopping into the transfer portal.
 
This time around, West Virginia was interested.
 
"All in all, I felt like it was a great decision for myself (to transfer)," Hubbard admitted. "Out of high school, I didn't have West Virginia as an offer because the old staff left. I honestly didn't have an opportunity to really consider them, so when I hit the transfer portal and coach (Matt) Moore and coach (Neal) Brown contacted me … I'm a Western PA kid, it's not too far from home, and I never liked Pitt."
 
Hubbard spent the COVID year in 2020 at WVU sitting out and losing weight, and then in 2021, he got into five games, playing about 60 snaps at left tackle, most of them coming in the Long Island win.
 
Last year, Hubbard was thrust into action early during the Pitt game when Jordan White went down with an injury. Hubbard started every game at right tackle afterward, getting a season-high 55 snaps against TCU. He played well in the Oklahoma victory and also had strong performances against the Horned Frogs and Kansas State, the top two teams in the Big 12 last season.
 
This spring, Hubbard, working mostly at right guard, is part of a veteran Mountaineer offensive line that includes All-American candidate Zach Frazier, fifth-year senior Doug Nester, emerging junior Wyatt Milum and improving sophomore Tomas Rimac.
 
Collectively, it's probably West Virginia's deepest and most talented offensive line in the last 10 years.
 
"Our chemistry is through the roof," Hubbard noted. "We all know each other to a T. We know how to work. We know how to push each other, and we all know our strengths and weaknesses. I think going into Penn State, having an offensive line that's been together for three years, you can't get more comfortable than that."
 
West Virginia also boasts a talented stable of running backs that will easily absorb the recent loss of Tony Mathis Jr., who opted to transfer at the conclusion of spring drills. The group includes CJ Donaldson Jr., Justin Johnson Jr. and Jaylen Anderson, three potential stars in the making, not to mention explosive freshman Jahiem White, who was the standout of the spring game.
 
Handing the ball off to them will either be Garrett Greene or Nicco Marchiol, two athletic quarterbacks capable of getting yardage with their arms or their legs.
 
Hubbard believes the added athleticism at the quarterback position is going to give the offense a big boost this fall. When West Virginia calls a zone read or an RPO, defenses must now honor the QB run.
 
"It keeps defenses on their toes," Hubbard said. "Previously, they were not going to bite that much on the pull so they were able to key on the running back and load up the box a little more and that makes it hard. 
 
"Both of our quarterbacks are mobile, and both have a beautiful deep ball so it's like pick your poison. If you want to load up the box, we've got you. If you want to spread out, then we're going right at you. It will be interesting to see how people react to that."
 
It will also be interesting to see how West Virginia reacts to facing Penn State in the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 2 at sold-out Beaver Stadium. The game kicks off in prime time at 7:30 p.m. on NBC, and it will be the Mountaineers' first visit to Happy Valley in more than 30 years.
 
Hubbard, who is currently touring Europe with six other teammates as part of Mountaineer football's Fifth Quarter program, said he is definitely looking forward to the opener, especially when he's eating dinner.
 
"Sometimes I want the fried chicken over the salad, but then I think about Penn State, and I pick the salad right way," he laughed.
 
Season tickets for the 2023 season are currently on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office and can be purchased by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging on to WVUGAME.com.