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.

It was a fitting end on Friday night for Virginia Tech in the Dukes Mayo Bowl vs Minnesota. After coming into the year with ACC title aspirations, the Hokies disappointing season ends at 6-7. Losing the bowl game was not at all surprising considering the players the Hokies had missing, but it was the final chapter in a season that started with big hopes.

After the game, ESPN’s David Hale gave his biggest takeaway for the game, as well as naming an MVP for Minnesota’s win:

Takeaway: “Minnesota extended the longest bowl winning streak in the country to eight games, largely dominating a severely depleted Virginia Tech team that was missing its starting quarterback, running back, receivers, pass rushers and defensive backs. Max Brosmer, playing in his last collegiate game, threw for 211 yards and finished the season with 2,828 yards passing — the third-highest total in school history. The defense came up big all night, limiting the Hokies offense to 223 total yards and nine first downs. Twice in the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech drove inside the Minnesota 20 but the Gophers stopped the Hokies both times on fourth down, including a game-sealing interception with 4:24 remaining. There was one highlight for Virginia Tech: Kicker John Love made a 60-yard field goal, the second longest in school history. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck got the ceremonial mayo bath after the win, his sixth bowl victory at the school. The other 34 coaches in program history have combined for seven.”

MVP: WR Elijah Spencer. Spencer finished with six catches for 81 yards and two first-half touchdowns, tying the school record for receiving touchdowns in a bowl game.

All eyes shift to next season now for the Hokies. They are still working on adding talent through the transfer portal and getting quarterback Kyron Drones back healthy. Next year will be a big season for Brent Pry and this program and the work to have a big 2025 season starts now.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the first time since 1990, the Louisville men’s basketball program was triumphant on the road against Virginia, leaving Charlottesville with a resounding 70-50 victory on Saturday.

The Atlantic Coast Conference put together a highlight tape of the matchup, which you can see here:

(Photo of Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)

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