West Virginia has plan for scholarships with transfers
West Virginia still has four scholarships to fill held over from the 2022 recruiting class and there is a plan on how to utilize those at various spots.
When it comes to filling those slots the coaching staff has a plan on how they will address those open scholarships and how they will be utilized.
The Mountaineers will take at least two defensive backs, with one being a safety and the other being a cornerback, as well as an inside linebacker.
The last position will be a case of best available at several spots with those positions being looked at including defensive line, offensive line and more.
The coaching staff looks at every spot in terms of how they will address needs on the roster and breaks down each scholarship in terms of position.
When it comes to filling immediate needs, the coaching staff doesn’t factor in where the players are in terms of their class standing. For example, if the coaches need to find a player to fill a hole it doesn’t matter if that transfer is a senior or has multiple years of eligibility remaining.
That is quite different when it comes to flushing out a position group as the coaches look for players that have multiple years remaining and can be developed over time. That has been put in action over the years in cases such as Lance Dixon, Charles Woods and Doug Nester.
Given how many options are available in the transfer portal it leads to some interesting decisions when it comes to addressing needs on the roster.
“It factors in as we were looking for the specialists it definitely did,” head coach Neal Brown said. “The other thing is graduate or undergrad. In this new world we’re in there’s a lot of things that you’ve got to think about that you didn’t necessarily have to before.”
It’s an individual decision for each spot on the roster and one that the Mountaineers are taking into consideration when it comes to filling needs on the roster.
The transfer portal has changed a lot when it comes to roster management, but it's something that coaches and programs alike must adjust to.
"It’s made you focus on retaining the ones you want to retain and understanding you’re not going to save them all. Managing your roster is a continuous order and I don’t think it ever stops," Brown said.
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