West Virginia has been quite active in the transfer portal.
The Mountaineers have made a total of 31 additions out of the database since Rich Rodriguez took over the program and another out of the junior college ranks.
It’s been a wide range of additions from a lot of different places at this point with five players following Rodriguez from Jacksonville State, seven from the Power Four, 17 from the Group of Five and FCS level, and even two from Division II. It helps matters that almost all of those are already enrolled on campus.
Out of the players that have committed to the Mountaineers the bulk are experienced options that should be able to step in and contribute immediately at their respective positions.
When it comes to the players that followed Rodriguez, he was able to take the highly productive safety Fred Perry as well as his leading receiver from a year ago Cam Vaughn for example.
Some of the ones that stand out from the rest of the list are Texas San Antonio edge rusher Jimmori Robinson, who was named American Athletic Defensive Player of the Year, South Alabama nickel Jordan Scruggs, Nevada cornerback Michael Coats, Princeton offensive lineman Will Reed, Wyoming defensive end Braden Siders, Colorado State linebacker Chase Wilson, Northern Iowa running back Tye Edwards and more.
The program heavily addressed several positions such as the defensive backfield, offensive line and wide receiver, while there were other key pledges in other spots on the roster.
Take the defensive backfield for example, the Mountaineers coaching staff added a total of nine new players to the cornerback and safety positions rooms each with one season of eligibility remaining. That is going to force competition in spots where there simply weren’t many returning snaps from a season ago.
Out of those nine, almost all of them have played over 1,000 snaps in their career at this stage.
The offensive line also was hit hard with key additions beginning with Reed, who started 19 games for the Tigers over the past two seasons and was a key target at offensive tackle.
Outside of him, the coaching staff added three more experienced options in Tulsa offensive guard Walter Young Bear, Arkansas offensive tackle Ty’kieast Crawford and LSU offensive guard Kimo Manake’ole. Young Bear is a two-year starter, while Crawford has appeared in 39 games and Manake’ole spent time in the SEC.
West Virginia also added some young options in North Carolina State offensive lineman Robby Martin and Youngstown State interior lineman Wyatt Minor.
That position is going to remain a priority moving forward but just to add those pieces at this stage at a position that is difficult to reload after losing the top six options and several key backups from a season ago is a major move in the right direction in terms of the roster build.
It goes without saying that Robinson is a major pledge for the Mountaineers after he recorded 43 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2024 for the Roadrunners. At 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, Robinson is a prototypical edge rusher, and the program was able to beat out several major programs for services.
West Virginia also added five new wide receivers to the roster and those additions count for five of the top six in terms of snaps played last season.
The work isn’t done quite yet either, but so far the Mountaineers have shown the ability to be aggressive when it comes to rebuilding their roster through the transfer portal.
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