West Virginia has jumped into the transfer portal to address a need at the linebacker position with a commitment from North Carolina linebacker Ashton Woods.
Woods, 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, appeared in six games during his true freshman season for the Tarheels but did not record any statistics. A former four-star prospect that was rated as the 17th best linebacker prospect in the nation according to Rivals.com.
Prior to picking North Carolina, Woods held a long list of scholarship offers including USC, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Miami (Fla.), Auburn, Nebraska, Kentucky and a long list of other schools.
The Georgia native entered the transfer portal Dec. 27 and will have three years of eligibility remaining in his career.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer of Woods and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Woods only saw two defensive snaps in his true freshman season but brings a strong profile considering he tallied 151 tackles, eight sacks, 20 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles as a senior in high school.
The early enrollee has excellent size at the position and was able to see the field in his first year with the program which isn't an easy thing to do.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia has only six true inside linebackers on the roster and one of those is a true freshman that means that as long as Woods is able to adjust quickly there are going to be chances for him to compete for time on the field.
Woods has the size and pedigree that you want to see out of young players that you pull from the transfer portal and that should translate to Morgantown.
It's an addition from the state of Georgia where he played at an extremely high level in high school and now will have a chance to make the most of his opportunities. The fact that he will have at least three years remaining is critical.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia still needs more experience at the linebacker position and the program has been active when it comes to searching for those options in the portal. Expect that to continue even with the addition of a high upside option like Woods.
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