West Virginia checks boxes in retention so far
The first of two transfer portal windows have opened and closed at West Virginia with minimal impact compared to previous years.
The window, which opened on Dec. 4 and closed on Jan. 2, allowed athletes to enter the database to pursue their next destination. At West Virginia, the primary focus was on the retention of the best players up and down the roster.
"We have to put a premium on retaining," Brown said.
It's impossible to get them all, but Neal Brown and the rest of the West Virginia coaching staff certainly put their best foot forward in that department. Overall, the Mountaineers lost a total of 14 scholarship athletes during the initial window.
But out of that list, only a few saw significant action on the field. In terms of starters, the Mountaineers weren't unscathed with bandit Jared Bartlett and nose guard Mike Lockhart both exiting the program.
Bartlett played 50 games with 24 starts but left the program the right way. The pass rusher recorded 134 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 14 sacks serving as a key cog in the Mountaineers' defense during that time.
But Bartlett graduated and left the team on good terms after playing well in the Duke's Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina with 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack. It also doesn't hurt matters that the Mountaineers have recruited a replacement already in Gardner-Webb pass-rushing linebacker Ty French who had a monster career at the FCS level where he compiled 239 tackles, 34.5 sacks and 61 tackles for loss to go along with an interception. He recorded at least 8.5 sacks in three of his four seasons.
Related: How does West Virginia fill out the 2024 class needs with recruiting?
And French isn't alone, West Virginia has added a number of other impact pieces through the transfer portal in the early part of the window.
Lockhart entered the database before the bowl game only to commit to SMU. The good news is that the Mountaineers do have quality depth there which will soften the blow, but Lockhart was productive in the starting role while playing 409 snaps with 21 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. However, as the bowl game showed the Mountaineers can survive there with what they have on the roster.
Perhaps the biggest loss however was defensive end Tomiwa Durojaiye who only spent one season with the program in a reserve role but had three years left and flashed a nice skill set with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The fact he had so much time left is what makes his departure Jan. 2 sting for the program.
Some key contributors also made the jump such as safety Hershey McLaurin and running back Justin Johnson to look for new opportunities in their final seasons.
Out of the young talent on the roster, one with upside that left was true freshman James Heard after sitting out most of the season in order to redshirt and develop.
But for the most part all of the key building blocks that you would consider necessities for this team to have success remained in place. That is a testament not only to the current trajectory of the football program but the work that the coaching staff and the Country Roads Trust have done to invest in the student-athletes.
That was a major issue before without the trust being fully operational, but now the Mountaineers are operating from a very different position.
Even with the victory for now, the work isn't done. Graduate transfers can enter at any point and there will be a second window spanning from April 15-30. Still, with the focus on retention, it's hard not to believe that the program did its job on that front.
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