What has West Virginia lost in the portal?
The transfer portal can giveth and taketh. West Virginia has certainly experienced both sides of the coin and today we look at the ten best players that have exited the program through the transfer portal since Neal Brown has taken over.
Mesidor was a two-year starter for West Virginia beginning his true freshman year and then into his sophomore season. He recorded 70 tackles and 6 sacks bouncing back and forth between multiple spots and seemed primed to take an even large step forward in his third year. However, the Canadian import elected to surprisingly enter the transfer portal and leave behind his career in Morgantown. Mesidor committed to Miami where he has been highly productive when on the field. As a sophomore Mesidor recorded 38 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks but was limited to just three games as a junior after an injury. Still has one season remaining in his career.
Sills was a two-year starter for West Virginia at offensive guard and earned all-conference honors for his performance in the final year of the Dana Holgorsen era. Well, he played in only two games in 2019 before opting to have shoulder surgery in order to repair things. That would be the last that Sills would play for the Mountaineers as he elected to enter the transfer portal after graduating and ended up at Oklahoma State. He started 23 of 25 games as a Cowboy and was an honorable mention Big 12 selection in 2020 and followed that up as a first-teamer in 2021. There's no question that Sills is one of the best players that has left under Brown.
Smith was a two-year starter for West Virginia but elected to enter his name into the transfer portal at the start of spring football. During his time on the field at West Virginia he recorded 114 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions. Transferred to Georgia where he appeared in only one game during his first season but 27 over the next two including an impressive senior campaign with 68 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions for the Bulldogs. One of the more talented pieces to exit.
Brown was a massive pick-up for West Virginia out of the high school ranks but it never came together on the field during his time in Morgantown. He showed flashes hauling in 10 catches for 108 yards but simply couldn't play his way into a larger role. Elected to leave the program and ended up at Houston. Over two seasons Brown has caught 103 passes for 1,286 yards and 7 touchdowns for the Cougars and still has two years left. He has made good on that potential he flashed as a recruit.
Chandler-Semedo elected to return for his fifth season at the college level and it appeared would reprise his role as a starting linebacker after finishing with 110 tackles last season. However, he elected to enter his name into the transfer portal in February of his final campaign. During his time with the Mountaineers, Chandler-Semedo was a two-time all-Big 12 selection and had a robust stat line over his time on the field 260 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. Spent his final season at Colorado where Chandler-Semedo played 743 snaps and finished with 101 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3 sacks for the Buffaloes.
Woods came to West Virginia from Illinois State and it appeared as if he would have a strong career for the Mountaineers. Woods earned all-Big 12 pre-season honors for his play during the 2021 season where he finished with 31 tackles and 2 interceptions. However, was injured in the opening game against Pittsburgh the following season and was only able to play limited snaps across four games. Woods elected to enter the transfer portal yet again and ended up at SMU for his final year where he recorded 21 tackles while starting every game and finished with high coverage marks.
Jennings played in 18 games during his time at West Virginia and seemed primed for a major breakout after a productive freshman season but struggled with an injury in pre-season camp and saw his time limited as a sophomore. Transferred to Old Dominion where he spent two seasons. In 2021 Jennings led the team 1,066 receiving yards and then repeated that feat in 2022 with 54 receptions for 959 yards and nine touchdowns. Jennings then transferred yet again to Virginia Tech where he appeared in just two games due to injury but is expected to return for a final season.
Jefferson spent four seasons with the West Virginia football program and recorded 54 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks during that time. The Florida native arrived young in Morgantown and developed over his career to where he put together the best season in 2022 recording 31 tackles and 3 sacks. Committed to spend his final year at LSU where he started the final five games of the year and finished with 34 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. The good news is West Virginia had players emerge in his spot at the nose and his impact wasn't missed as much as it could have been.
One of the highest-rated recruits for West Virginia in the past several years, Prather spend two seasons with the Mountaineers with his second being the most productive. Prather entered the transfer portal after collecting 52 catches for 501 yards and 3 touchdowns and ended up at Maryland. There he caught 41 passes for 609 yards and 5 touchdowns and still have one season of eligibility remaining in his career.
Porter saw limited action in 2020, but grew to a full-time role the next season playing in all 13 games while recording 46 tackles, 1 interception and 6 pass breakups. Entered the transfer portal in February and ended up at Miami. In his first season with the Hurricanes Porter was limited to just 205 snaps, but started every game he played this past season. Over eight games, Porter had 21 tackles and 3 passes defended. He has one season of eligibility remaining heading into the 2024 campaign.
Others worth mentioning: LB Jared Bartlett (Cincinnati), DB Jackie Matthews (Mississippi State), DL Mike Lockhart (SMU), CB Nicktroy Fortune (Texas San Antonio), Tomiwa Durojaiye (Florida State) and, S Kerry Martin (Akron).
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