West Virginia wanted to add an experienced piece to go along with the rising talent in the linebacker room and Reid Carrico was the perfect fit.

The Ironton native spent three years at Ohio State where he was used as a rotational piece on defense as well as on special teams. He saw action in a total of 22 games during that time.

But brings an intelligence to the position room and on special teams that the Mountaineers coveted.

“Smart football player. He’s worked at a high level. He’s done a great job knowing linebacker and special teams. He understands the importance of that,” head coach Neal Brown said.

Carrico took little time to acclimate himself to the West Virginia linebacker room both in terms of culture and his willingness to compete. Those are attributes that can rub off on younger players in the room.

“Reid wanted to be here. Reid definitely was a welcomed addition to the room. He fit who we are as a culture, as a program and it’s been phenomenal to have him with us,” linebackers coach Jeff Koonz said.

On the field, Carrico possesses a nice blend of physicality and athleticism as he was a former four-star prospect that initially signed with the Buckeyes.

His addition provides some much-needed depth for the Mountaineers not only in the linebacker room but what he can do on special teams.

Now that’s not to say there hasn’t been a learning curve considering Carrico is playing in a completely different defense than what he was in at Ohio State, but he has continued to show improvement.

And is just another example of the Mountaineers finding the right fits in the portal.

“He’s gravitated toward the other players. He’s a mature guy, he’s an older guy being in his fourth year of college football,” Koonz said. “I love his work ethic.”

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