West Virginia knew they needed to bring in experience in the secondary for the second straight year.
After a season where things had gone sideways for a variety of reasons in the secondary despite hitting the transfer portal hard to fill those needs, the Mountaineers found themselves in a similar spot. But similar results weren’t going to be an option when it came to filling those needs.
West Virginia was able to add four veterans in the secondary through means of the transfer portal with Kent State cornerback Montre Miller, Minnesota cornerback Beanie Bishop, Georgia Southern safety Anthony Wilson and Buffalo safety Keyshawn Cobb all joining the program.
The process for bringing transfers into the program is a long vetting that starts with identifying the talent level that each player brings. And if it fits that need, the coaches move onto the personality piece by talking to people that know the player whether that's an assistant with a connection or even people that knew them in high school.
If it progresses enough, the coaching staff will then bring players to campus and see how they fit into the program up close. Each of these checked the box, according to secondary coach ShaDon Brown.
"We don't want people to destroy the culture we’ve had set. We brought guys that have blended well and enhanced the culture with the focus and maturity," he said.
Miller and Cobb both enrolled in time for the spring, while Bishop and Wilson joined the Mountaineers in the summer to start their careers. The common theme between each of them is experience.
Miller is coming off a season where he recorded 52 tackles, 2 interceptions and 8 passes defended and played a total of 807 snaps last season across 12-games. He recorded 115 tackles and 6 interceptions over the course of his college career and has one season left in his career.
Cobb spent only one season at Buffalo but made the most of it by recording 67 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, an interception and 7 passes defended. The former junior college prospect could play multiple safety spots in the scheme and has multiple years left.
Bishop appeared in 49 games during his career split between Western Kentucky and Minnesota. The Louisville native has over 1,200 snaps to his credit and has been productive with over 105 tackles and 3 interceptions during that time earning all-conference honors during his time at Conference-USA. He has the ability to play either cornerback or safety and has one year left.
He also has embraced a leadership angle and has become the alpha in the room.
"For only being here for two months you wouldn’t think that would be the case but his personality is a leadership, alpha personality," Brown said.
Finally, Wilson played over 2,500 snaps as a three-year starter with the Eagles and was highly productive in the process. The South Carolina native recorded 101 tackles and an interception last season and immediately became one of the most seasoned options in the secondary. He brings a physical element as well.
So outside experience, what do each of these have in common and what makes it different than a year ago? Last season, the Mountaineers brought in experienced pieces that were productive in their former stops and checked many of the boxes that the program was searching for to fill needs.
In fact, the Mountaineers prioritized things such as length, height, speed when adding pieces to the roster a year ago and while those were still important one thing took priority above all others.
“A ballplayer. I think that carries a lot more weight in the evaluation maybe as opposed to the last few years than straight up intangibles,” coordinator Jordan Lesley said.
And what does that boil down to?
“Can the guy track the ball in the air? Can he find the ball on the ground? That’s the easiest evaluation you can do but that has been better to us than some of the other things,” Lesley added.
It sounds simple enough but that was the priority above all else when looking at additions to the roster instead of the traditional scouting metrics that are done to navigate the transfer portal. And now, the coaching staff is hoping that pays off with a revamped secondary that is looking to rebound after a disappointing 2022 campaign in many different areas.
Whether that ends up being a successful approach has yet to be determined but the Mountaineers had conviction in what they wanted to find in transfer additions. And each checked that box for the coaches.
"I think we've hit on all those guys. They can do multiple things, they're all physical guys and they can play the ball in the air. They're all workers and guys that have blended in really well and learned how we do things," Brown said.
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