Examining how the incoming transfers fared during the 2023 season and what the West Virginia football program can expect out of each heading into this year.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 76.1, Coverage: 76.9, Run Defense: 67.5
Crandall played a total of 303 snaps as a true freshman at Colorado State and more than held his own. He graded out high in coverage across 137 snaps while allowing just 9 catches on 15 passes thrown in his direction.
The cornerback also came down with a pair of interceptions to go along with 3 passes defended during his true freshman campaign. The fact that he has three years of eligibility remaining along with great size and length is exciting for his future.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 89.7, Run Defense: 91.0, Pass Rush: 74.9
Jackson has plenty of experience at the college level playing 1,108 snaps over the course of his three seasons in the Sun Belt.
Even this past season was limited to just 394 snaps after missing games due to a suspension, Jackson graded out as the highest-rated player on the Troy defense at 89.7 with especially strong numbers in tackling and run defense.
Still, Jackson is plenty equipped as a pass rusher too and recorded 9 hurries and 7 hits on the quarterback across his snaps during the 2023 campaign.
Jackson is the perfect mix of experience, production and upside as a transfer addition.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 73.0, Coverage: 70.6
This past season, Hollis was an every-game starter for the Wildcats and saw a total of 697 snaps on the defensive side of the ball with 609 of those coming at the cornerback spot. That fills a major need for the Mountaineers given his experience and how he can add to what is already on the roster.
Across 355 coverage snaps, Hollis held his own with a ranking of 70.6 according to PFF. Teams completed just 22 of 38 passes in his coverage for 260 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. His long catch given up on the year was just 36 yards.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 74.4, Run Defense: 77.5, Pass Rush: 68.7
French played a total of 2,374 snaps over his four seasons at Garner-Webb and was highly productive over the course of his career. His stat line is prolific in the sense that he recorded 239 tackles, 61 tackles for loss, 34.5 sacks and an interception.
That earned him multiple FCS all-American honors and made him a priority for teams in the transfer portal given both his production and experience.
French had strong numbers as a pass rusher, but also held up well in coverage during his career never dropping below a grade of 65.0 during his four seasons. It wasn't something he was asked to do a lot, but when he did he handled the role.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 66.1, Receiving: 66.0
Bray played 1,070 offensive snaps during his time with the Cowboys and saw his most this past season with 301. However, he made those count flashing big play ability with an average of 12.7 yards per reception. Bray is an outside receiver, that can make plays down the field as he spent 292 of his snaps this past season in that role.
Bray also possesses the ability to make things happen after he reels in the football with with 114 of his total yardage coming after the catch. He forced a total of 13 missed tackles in his career which is an area where the wide receiver group was lacking.
Given his frame and explosion, Bray was impressive in contested catch situations hauling in 7 of the 11 times he was targeted this past season. He also had a drop rate of just 9.1% across his 50 targets in 2023.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 87.5, Coverage: 90.1, Run Defense: 76.1
Garnes played a total of 688 snaps last season for the Dukes and his efforts on the field earned him all-NEC honors after stuffing the stat sheet. Garnes is strong in run support but excels in coverage where he had one of the highest marks on his team which made him an attractive piece.
In terms of coverage, Garnes was targeted 40 times on the season but permitted just 18 receptions for 144 yards. He also permitted just one touchdown while recording a pair of interceptions.
And out of that 144 yards that Garnes permitted a total of 118 was after the catch.
Garnes saw a total of 384 snaps in the slot, with 152 outside at corner and 114 in the box showing his overall versatility in the defensive backfield.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 69.6, Run Blocking: 67.6, Pass Blocking: 68.1
ausley played 914 snaps this past season and fared well in both run blocking and pass blocking for Jacksonville State. In the department of pass blocking, Bausley was charged with allowing only one sack all season at his right tackle spot and permitting just 16 pressures. He also allowed just 6 hits on the quarterback which combined are strong numbers considering it was his first year as a starter.
As a run blocker, Bausley is a mauler that uses his size to move people which resulted in a solid grade there this past season. He also was flagged for only two penalties.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: 80.7, Coverage: 81.1, Run Defense: 73.7
Joseph has played a total of 465 snaps on the defensive side of the ball at the power five level, with the majority of those coming this past season with 357. He started four games this past year for the Wildcats and spent the bulk of his snaps at free safety where he saw 236 although he showed the ability to play nickel corner and even in the box for Northwestern in 2023.
In coverage Joseph allowed 7 of 11 passes thrown in his direction to be completed for just 45 yards and did not allow a touchdown. He also was able to record a trio interceptions in the process.
2023 PFF Grade: 79.2, Coverage: 76.1, Run Defense: 82.9
Tarnue played 628 snaps during his lone season at Jacksonville State where he was highly productive across the board. He finished with 53 tackles and 3 interceptions while permitting just just 26 of 45 passes to be completed for 263 yards and zero touchdowns in his coverage.
Also strong in run support, Tarnue was charged with just 6 missed tackles from the secondary and had 17 stops or tackles that constituted as a failure for the opposing offense. Given his overall size and versatility he will spend his final season in Morgantown at the cat safety position bringing flexibility and coverage there.
* = Enrolled early.
2023 PFF Grade: N/A, Coverage: N/A, Run Defense: N/A
Carrico played just 20 snaps on defense during his time with the Buckeyes, but that total was 153 on the various special teams units. A total of 117 of those snaps came on kick coverage over his time in Columbus.
On defense, Carrico finished with 2 tackles on the defensive side of the ball and allowed the only pass in his coverage to be completed for 7 yards. Still, given his pedigree and athleticism it’s easy to see the potential here if given the opportunity for a larger role.
2023 PFF Grade: 71.9, Coverage: 73.7, Run Defense: 60.0
Fagan played a total of 623 snaps in his line season with the 49ers and recorded a total of 21 tackles and an interception.
Fagan played a total of 593 of his 628 defensive snaps at wide corner and posted a solid coverage grade across the 13 games permitting just 18 of 33 passes thrown in his coverage to be completed for 397 yards.
Fagan allowed two touchdowns, but also recorded an interception and four pass deflections. He covers well and also isn’t afraid to come up and tackle as well. One area where he struggled at times was tackling missing a total of 6 but the limited sample size there makes it stand out across the 300 snaps.
2023 PFF Grade: 66.3, Receiving: 66.7
Robinson played a total of 960 offensive snaps over the course of his four years at the college level between his time at Georgia and Mississippi State. Saw the most of his career the past two years with the Bulldogs where he played 331 in 2022 and 449 this past season. The big pass catcher was targeted 100 times in his career and came down with 53 of those while playing 97-percent of his snaps out wide.
Robinson effectively used his size hauling in 9 of his 19 contested catch situations over his career and had an averaged depth of target of 12.5 yards. This is a wide receiver option that is going to be used down the field.
2023 PFF Grade: N/A, Coverage: N/A, Run Defense: N/A
Burton has not seen the field in his college career to date.
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