The transfer portal has become woven into the fabric of college football in recent years.

The database essentially cuts out the middle man from the traditional transfer method and allows players to contact their compliance offices with their intentions to enter into it.

From there, the compliance office has 48-hours to do so and then other college coaches can make contact with players once their names are officially entered into the database.

Transfers are becoming a significant part of recruiting for college football teams and players entering the portal has become commonplace for college programs. That has been made even easier with the ruling that all players can transfer once without being forced to sit out a season.

That has been no different at West Virginia.

The Mountaineers have seen 18 scholarship players exit the program through the portal for a number of reasons this off-season, while they have welcomed four into it.

Head coach Neal Brown has been active using the portal as a way to address roster needs during his time in Morgantown and has had success with it.

But that leads to some adjustments for the players themselves who are entering into the Mountaineers football program.

Jarret Doege was a two-year starter at Bowling Green prior to arriving in Morgantown two off-seasons ago and for him it was a different experience altogether. Transfers, unlike traditional recruits, don’t come in with an entire recruiting class so you have to make relationships on the fly.

“Your kind of all alone and it takes a little longer to develop those relationships,” he said. “A kid coming from Bowling Green up to West Virginia, it’s like who’s this guy?”

And that doesn’t even touch on the adjustments that come on the football side of things.

“Quarterback is tough either way just trying to learn a whole new playbook, staff and developing relationships with the players,” he said. “I tried to hang out with as many people as I could.”

Alonzo Addae, starting safety for the Mountaineers, spent the first part of his career a New Hampshire. Coming from the FCS level, the biggest adjustment for him was simply realizing the resources available to athletes at the power five level as it was quite different than what he was accustomed to.

“We have so many different resources at the facility whether it’s nutrition, whether it’s the academic staff, whether it’s the weight room, whether it’s the athletic trainers. Coming from an FCS program we aren’t afforded those luxuries,” he said. “Biggest adjustment for me is making sure I’m making the most of my day and the resources afforded to me.”

It’s an adjustment all around for both parties, but one that West Virginia will need to get used to because transfers aren’t going away anytime soon.

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