West Virginia wanted to add some defensive linemen and pass rushers to the roster.
The Mountaineers have several coming back up front such as Edward Vesterinen, Hammond Russell and Asani Redwood but lost both of their primary edge rushers to graduation in Tyrin Bradley and Ty French.
That made finding those players that could affect the quarterback a necessity.
“You can’t have too many pass rushers,” head coach Rich Rodriguez said.
One of the biggest additions came in Texas San Antonio edge transfer Jimmori Robinson.
Robinson, 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, was one of the premier edge rushers available in the transfer market and for good reason. The Virginia native is coming off a season where he was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference as well as a first-team all-league choice.
Over the course of his 528 snaps, Robinson recorded 43 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles in his first year full year as a starter for the Roadrunners. Prior to that, Robinson appeared in 30 games over his other three years and tallied 67 tackles, 13 tackles for loss. 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Robinson has been limited at times in spring practice, but when he’s been on the field he’s impressed.
“We’ve seen flashes from him,” Rodriguez said.
Wyoming transfer Braden Siders is another that brings experience to the table. Siders, 6-foot-3, 252-pounds, spent four seasons with the Cowboys but played in a total of three of those seasons. Over the past three years, Siders appeared in 33 total games and started 26 contests.
Over the course of his three years on the field, Siders has 91 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. That included last season where he had 21 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks in eight games, while his best campaign was in 2022 with 44 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks.
“Siders has had a good camp,” Rodriguez said.
The Mountaineers also are set to welcome junior college pass rushers in Keenan Eck and Marshon Oxley to the mix as well in the summer, but the program might not be done addressing the spot.
“Every coach will tell you that you’ve got to have guys that can rush the quarterback in any league. But that’s been an area of concern and we tried to address that in the portal,” Rodriguez said.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
