Miami transfer LB Austin-Cave commits to West Virginia
West Virginia needed help at the linebacker position and the Mountaineers found that with a familiar face with a commitment from Miami transfer Tirek Austin-Cave.
Austin-Cave, 6-foot-1, 225-pounds, was a key target of West Virginia out of Camden High School in New Jersey until a late push from the Hurricanes in the 2020 class. The former Rivals.com three-star linebacker took an official visit to Morgantown and was recruited by running backs coach Chad Scott.
There was a close connection between the two then but things weren’t able to come together. Fast forward a few years later and that work is now formally paying off on the recruiting trail. This time he was recruited by linebackers coach Jeff Koonz.
Austin-Cave appeared in 17 games during his time in Coral Gables serving mostly as a reserve linebacker and seeing the bulk of his time on special teams. On the defensive side, he played only 46 snaps.
But the familiarity between the two made it an interesting fit once Austin-Cave elected to enter the transfer portal April 13 in search of a new place to finish out his career.
Once the Mountaineers formally reached out to Austin-Cave, things only continued to build from there. That culminated in an official visit to Morgantown this past weekend and all the boxes were checked.
“That’s where I want to be. Just want to come in and make the team better,” he said.
Along with West Virginia, Austin-Cave was recruited by Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Washington, Rutgers and Central Florida, among others.
Austin-Cave will have three years remaining in his career, along with a redshirt, and should be able to come in and provide immediate depth for West Virginia at the linebacker position.
The linebacker becomes the first addition at the position through the transfer portal this cycle and is slotted to play the MIKE position in the Mountaineers defensive scheme. He represents the ninth transfer pledge overall for West Virginia with the remaining 2022 scholarships.
WVSports.com will have more with Austin-Cave in the near future.
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