West Virginia has added some potential versatility out of the transfer portal on the line with a commitment from Louisiana State transfer Kimo Makane’ole.
Makane’ole, 6-foot-4, 297-pounds, spent four seasons with he Tigers where he played on both the offensive and defensive lines across his career. Three of his seasons were spent on offense, while he played on the defensive line this past season for the Tigers.
The Florida native appeared in 19 total games during his time in the SEC with 10 of those coming this past season on the defensive line. He played 63 total snaps over his first three years on offense and 21 this past season on the defensive side of the ball.
The former three-star prospect was the 15th best offensive guard in his recruiting class and picked LSU over offers from a long list of programs including Texas A&M, Florida State and Mississippi.
Makane’ole took an official visit to Morgantown Jan. 8 and his commitment was announced through his agency A&P Sports Agency. The versatile lineman could potentially play either side of the ball.
Makane’ole has one season of eligibility remaining in his career and would be the first defensive lineman to commit to the Mountaineers this off-season while if he plays offense would be the second behind Tulsa transfer Walter Young Bear.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer of Makane’ole and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Makane’ole spent this past season on the defensive side of the football where he appeared across 21 snaps and recorded a single tackle. He saw action in five games on defense and 10 games total.
Previously to that he played two seasons along the offensive line where he saw just 37 snaps in 2023 and 26 snaps in 2022. During those two years, Makane’ole graded out at 64.2 and 63.6 according to Pro Football Focus although it was clearly in limited snaps.
Fitting the program:
Makane’ole has versatility and could move around to either side of the ball for West Virginia depending on where he is needed. That is obviously a plus for a team that is looking to add to what they have on both sides of the ball in the trenches. It remains to be seen where he will end up in Morgantown, but he is a big, experienced option that has gone through strength and conditioning for four seasons in the SEC.
The Mountaineers brought Makane’ole to campus for a visit and was able to seal the deal giving the program an intriguing piece in the roster build that has the size and strength to fill multiple roles.
Recruiting the position:
Regardless of what side of the ball that Makane’ole ends up, West Virginia is going to continue to target options to round out the roster on both of the lines especially the offensive front. This is a solid addition with experience, albeit limited on the field, in the SEC but there is more work to be done.
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