West Virginia has filled a need in the transfer portal with a commitment from South Alabama cornerback Jordan Scruggs picking the Mountaineers.
Scruggs, 5-foot-11, 176-pounds, took an official visit to Morgantown Dec. 21 and picked the Mountaineers over other offers from Virginia Tech, Colorado, UNLV and a number of others.
West Virginia got involved with Scruggs once he entered the transfer portal, but things picked up with Rich Rodriguez’s coaching staff extending a scholarship offer to him on the day he was set to visit campus.
The transfer cornerback is coming off a season with the Jaguars where he recorded 70 tackles and an interception leading to interest from a number of programs once he entered the transfer portal.
Prior to his season at South Alabama, Scruggs spent 11 games at Hutchinson C.C. where he recorded 38 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss with an interception. Scruggs was previously at Central Missouri where he made 37 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss and started his career at Washburn.
The Missouri native is expected to play in the slot for the Mountaineers.
Scruggs will have one season of eligibility remaining in his college career.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer of Scruggs and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Scruggs spent just one season at South Alabama where he played a total of 662 snaps and graded out as the highest defender on the roster that played over 100 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. The talented defensive back was productive in his role with 70 tackles and an interception.
Over the course of the year, Scruggs played a total of 462 of his total snaps in the slot and that’s likely where he will fit into the picture for the Mountaineers as well. He spent 167 snaps in the box.
In coverage, Scruggs allowed just 28 of 46 passes to be completed in his coverage and graded out at 80.9 in the coverage department according to Pro Football Focus.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia needed an influx of talent on the roster with the coaching change and Scruggs will certainly help that department given his experience and how he performed this past season. The fact that the Mountaineers made a strong push for Scruggs and was able to bring him to campus for a visit only cements the fact that the football program had prioritized him in the transfer portal.
Scruggs is going to step into a room that is undergoing almost a complete rebuild and his experience should allow him to step into role from the jump for the Mountaineers. He started a total of nine games this past year and is a seasoned option who performed well on the field.
Recruiting the position:
Scruggs fills a need for West Virginia as a versatile slot defensive back who can man the nickel, but the Mountaineers are in the process of attempting to rebuild their secondary due to graduation and departures. Expect a number of players to continue to be targeted from the transfer portal in order to round out what that first group is going to look like with Rodriguez at the helm of the program.
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