Looking at the careers of the top 10 rated West Virginia football transfers
Who are the top 10 transfers that have signed with West Virginia during the Rivals.com era? How did they do during their careers? Did they live up to the rankings or fail to?
Well, WVSports.com uses the Rivals.com data from 2002-2021 to determine who are those top 10 rated transfers that have signed with West Virginia and what have they done on the field once they arrived in Morgantown?
Rivals Ranking: Five-star, 6.1, No. 6 nationally
Recruit: Bigelow is one of the recruits that actually considered West Virginia during his initial recruitment but that interest didn't last long. He ended up signing with USC and appeared primed for strong career in Los Angeles.
Career: Things didn't work out that way for Bigelow though as he was limited to only a handful of games and finished with 11 tackles and 3 sacks during his three years with the program while battling a number of injuries. He initially decided to retire from the game of football mid-way through his junior season before changing course and deciding to transfer somewhere for his final season. That led hivm to West Virginia where he had by far his most productive season with 21 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack playing the nose guard spot.
Rivals Ranking: Five-star, 6.1, No. 26 nationally
Recruit: Campbell was one of the most highly recruited wide receivers in his class and selected Florida State over a number of other offers as the 26th best player overall. During his initial recruitment West Virginia was not on the radar for his services
Career: The talented wide receiver struggled to remain on the field at Florida State due to a combination of injuries and inconsistency. He played in only 22 games during his time with the Seminoles and corralled 13 catches for 206 yards. He elected to for a fresh start and originally intended to go to Penn State before things didn’t work out and he found his way to Morgantown. Campbell made the most of his final season hauling in 19 passes for 469 yards and 7 touchdowns as an explosive deep threat.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 6.0, No. 46 nationally
Recruit: Grier did not consider West Virginia during his first recruitment and eventually signed with Florida after looking at programs like Tennessee.
Career: Grier looked well on his way to being the next great quarterback for the Gators after a redshirt year going 6-0 as a freshman while impressing with his command of the offense. However, he was popped for using a banned substance and was suspended which led to him finding a new school in Morgantown. He was drawn to the offense and after sitting out a season made the most of his two years with 7,354 passing yards, 71 touchdowns and 20 interception to go along wth 32 rushing yards and a total of five touchdowns. He finished fourth for the Heisman Trophy as a senior.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 6.0, No. 55 nationally
Recruit: Shell was one of the most heralded running backs in Western Pennsylvania history and had the offer list to show it with scholarships from all over. West Virginia was one of those but the Mountaineers were never able to gain any traction. After committing to Pittsburgh, he was a major contributor in his first season with the Panthers but elected to leave the program.
Career: That decision led him to West Virginia where he spent three years with the program totaling 2,102 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns as well as 49 catches for 341 yards. While he was never the dominant recruit he was projected to be, Shell was a very solid contributor and played his role during his time in Morgantown.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 6.0, No. 67 nationally
Recruit: Cowan was offered by West Virginia but the Mountaineers were never a serious player for him as he committed to Alabama after considering multiple options.
Career: Cowan saw action as a true freshman at Alabama in seven games but was dismissed from the program due to off the field issues. That led him to West Virginia where he sat out all of 2018 and then was limited to only two games in 2019 due to a suspension and then a season-ending knee injury. The redshirt junior earned the starting role this past season and was productive when on the field but injuries again limited him to four games. Cowan is one of only two transfers on this list still active.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 5.9, No. 77 nationally
Recruit: Kendall was a highly recruited prospect that flirted with Tennessee and Kentucky prior to committing to Oklahoma and signing with the Sooners. A dual threat option, he was attracted to the offense in Norman.
Career: Kendall played sparingly during his time with Oklahoma appearing in six games between his two years on the field completing 28-39 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns stuck between a pair of Heisman Trophy winners. After graduating, Kendall elected to seek a transfer opportunity and picked West Virginia due to his connections with Neal Brown. He won the starting job but dealt with inconsistency at times and finished throwing for 1,289 yards and 12 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Played sparingly in his senior season, but was tabbed with the starting role in the second half of the Liberty Bowl and rallied the Mountaineers for a win. Entered the transfer portal.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 5.9, No. 96 nationally
Recruit: Mundy held an offer from West Virginia but the free safety narrowed his list down to Michigan, Pittsburgh and Virginia before committing to the Wolverines in December of his senior season.
Career: The Western Pennsylvania product played sparingly in his two years on the field at Michigan and then made the decision to utilize the graduate transfer rule to play his final season in Morgantown. He played in 13 games and recorded 59 tackles to go along with three interceptions becoming a standout in the backend for his one year with the program. He would go on to put together a professional career.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 5.9, No. 99 nationally
Recruit: Christian considered multiple options before surprising some by committing to Michigan under head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Career: While he started his career at Michigan, Christian was never able to make an impact and then elected to move onto Pittsburgh. After spending time with the Panthers, he became a graduate transfer and spent his final season in Morgantown. He served mostly as a backup at SPUR and on special teams and finished with five tackles while appearing in 12 total games during that lone season.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 5.9, No. 104 nationally
Recruit: Bosch did not consider West Virginia during his initial recruitment as he picked out Michigan and stuck with the Wolverines throughout the duration of his process.
Career: Bosch saw time as a true freshman at Michigan after being highly recruited as a high-school prospect out of Illinois. He would leave the team after seeing only a few snaps during his sophomore year and eventually ended up at West Virginia due to his relationship with Ron Crook. Bosch appealed the NCAA for immediate eligibility and won that, making 13 starts last year for the Mountaineers at right guard. He also started all 13 games during his junior season and started each game of his senior campaign as well until an injury kept him off the field. A very solid contributor.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 5.9, No. 156
Recruit: The in-state native received his first offer from West Virginia but the Mountaineers were not able to secure his commitment as he first pledged to Ohio State then backed off that and committed to Virginia Tech on signing day despite a late push from Neal Brown. Was a top target, but decided to go elsewhere.
Career: Nester played two seasons for Virginia Tech making 17 starts during that time but then elected to enter the transfer portal as a surprise. The sophomore selected West Virginia where he is expected to immediately compete for a starting role. It was a long way to get to where they're at, but West Virginia was able to bring him home.
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