Graduate transfer DBs Hollis, Joseph set for spring at West Virginia
Spring football is set to begin Monday at West Virginia and the Mountaineers roster will have some added ammunition in the form of a pair of Northwestern transfers.
Cornerback Garnett Hollis and safety Jaheem Joseph will both go through spring football after graduating from The Big 10 program. With Northwestern on a quarter system, it allowed West Virginia to get the pair into graduate school for the term in March to join the program.
That isn’t necessarily breaking news considering it was the intention all along, but it still is significant for a defensive backfield that is looking to replace some key pieces.
“Those guys have played a lot of football and they’ve played quality football in a tough league,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Hollis spent four seasons with the Wildcats but only saw the field in three of those as he sat out during his freshman campaign in 2020. Over the past three years, Hollis appeared in 26 games and over 1,000 snaps as he recorded 78 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
The graduate transfer put together his best campaign in 2023 when he started all 13 games and recorded 49 tackles, 3 passes defended and an interception. He will have one year remaining.
“He’ll be a corner for us. Really excited about his addition,” Brown said.
Joseph is coming off his most productive season on the field this past year with the Wildcats where he recorded 24 tackles and 3 interceptions. Overall, he had 38 tackles and 3 interceptions across his four seasons with Northwestern as a versatile defensive back.
The plan for the Miami native is to dual-train him at deep safety and spear in order to maximize his skill set and to get him on the field in a variety of ways. He will have two years remaining.
The Mountaineers have been active in the transfer portal this off-season and getting these two in for the spring will no doubt help to acclimate them quicker to their roles in Morgantown.
“Without question. We wouldn’t bring guys in with little eligibility left unless we felt they could help,” Brown said. “It will benefit them for sure to be here.”
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