The transfer portal can giveth and taketh. West Virginia has certainly experienced both sides of the coin and today we look at ten potential impact players that have joined the program through the transfer portal this off-season.
Robinson is coming off a massive campaign at Texas San Antonio where he was named American Athletic Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference after recording 43 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. The Virginia native spent four seasons with the Roadrunners where he recorded a total of 110 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and 3 forced fumbles across 43 games. Robinson narrowed his choices down to West Virginia and Virginia Tech prior to committing to the Mountaineers and giving the coaching staff one of the top edge rushers available in the transfer market. The former junior college prospect has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career and will fill an immediate role.
Scruggs committed to West Virginia over scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, Colorado, UNLV and a number of others. The nickel back recorded 70 tackles and an interception for South Alabama in 2024 and received an offer from the Mountaineers once Rich Rodriguez took over the program. Scruggs started his career at Washburn but did not record any statistics, then moved onto Central Missouri where he played in 11 games and recorded 37 tackles. From there, Scruggs moved onto Hutchinson C.C. where he had 38 tackles and an interception. The Missouri native has one year of eligibility remaining in his college career and fills a major need for West Virginia at the nickel back position after posting strong coverage grades at South Alabama.
Coats was a first-team all-Mountain West selection in 2024 after a campaign where he posted 41 tackles, 17 passes defended and 4 interceptions while charting elite coverage grades. The Mississippi native spent two seasons at Nevada and in the first recorded 13 tackles, 5 passes defended and an interception. Prior to his time at Nevada, Coats spent time at East Central C.C. where he appeared in 21 games and recorded a total of 47 tackles, with 6 pass breakups, 5.0 sacks and 4 interceptions as a productive piece across the board. Coats visited Morgantown Jan. 8 and committed leaving him with one season of eligibility remaining in his college career. Given his metrics and how open the cornerback room was he will have every chance to make his impact felt in Morgantown.
Reed spent four years at Princeton where he appeared in 25 games and started 19 over the past two years. The offensive tackle became a key target for West Virginia with over 1,010 snaps over the past two seasons at the position. Reed received plenty of interest after he entered the transfer portal but after visits to West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Arizona elected to commit to the Mountaineers. The Washington native has one season of eligibility remaining in his college career and will compete for time immediately on an offensive line that lost a ton of production.
Vaughn spent two seasons at Jacksonville State where he started his career as a quarterback before making the move to wide receiver. The Georgia native then proceeded to emerge as the top pass catcher for the Gamecocks and hauled in 49 catches for 804 yards and 5 touchdowns and started nine of 14 games. Vaughn then entered the transfer portal Dec. 16 and took an official visit to Morgantown shortly after. Vaughn would then commit to the Mountaineers giving Rich Rodriguez a big outside option with both speed and elusiveness. He has three years left in his career and his familiarity with the scheme should make for an easy transition.
Perry spent three seasons at Jacksonville State where he was highly productive in each recording a total of 257 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions across 36 total games. The Georgia native earned freshman all-American honors in 2022 where he recorded 72 total tackles and an interception, while this past season Perry had 110 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Perry has experience playing under Rodriguez and has played almost 2,000 snaps in his college career. Committed to West Virginia after an official visit to campus and now has one season remaining in his college career where he is going to have every opportunity to make an impact given his familiarity.
Wilson spent five seasons with the Rams where he 234 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended, 6 sacks and 2 interceptions during that time. The Colorado native started 25 games the past two seasons and recorded 107 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 3 passes defended in 2023 and 98 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions this past season. Wilson entered the transfer portal Jan. 8 and quickly made the decision to commit. He has one season of eligibility remaining and is the most experienced inside linebacker on the roster in terms of snaps played.
Siders spent four seasons at Wyoming and started 26 of 33 games after redshirting in his first campaign. The Colorado native was productive in his three seasons on the field recording 91 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. That included the 2022 campaign where he had 44 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. Siders entered the transfer portal in early December and gives West Virginia a seasoned defensive lineman. He has one season of eligibility remaining in his career and has been a very productive defensive lineman when healthy. That makes him a strong choice to make an impact in his lone season in Morgantown.
Young Bear appeared in 32 games during his time at Tulsa but took over a starting role in the final two games of his sophomore season before becoming a starter for all 12 games in 2024 at left guard. The Oklahoma native has played over 1,000 snaps at the college level and has one season of eligibility remaining in his career. Picked West Virginia over a number of other offers once he entered the portal and is an experienced guard that should be able to provide immediate help at a position that needs it.
Edwards spent the past two seasons with the Panthers where he rushed for 1,557 yards and 11 touchdowns. That included this past season where Edwards rushed for 1,022 yards and 6 scores while catching 12 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. The Florida native also spent one season at Texas San Antonio as well as previous stops at Hutchinson C.C. and Georgia Military College. Edwards entered the transfer portal Dec. 26 after the JUCO ruling and currently has one year of eligibility remaining. He is a big running back that brings a dimension to the table that Jahiem White doesn't possess.
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