Virginia
West Virginia Pursuing Big-Name Talent in the Transfer Portal • The Voice Of Motown
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — New West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has been hard at work putting together his staff, attempting to keep players on the current roster, and finding players in the transfer portal.
Since Neal Brown was fired earlier this month, West Virginia has lost 18 players to the transfer portal, including Jaylen Anderson, Ryder Burton, Raleigh Collins, Hudson Clement, TJ Crandall, CJ Donaldson, Will Dixon, Aiden Ellis, Ric’Darious Farmer, Ayden Garnes, Josiah Jackson, Trey Lathan, Sullivan Weidman, Tomas Rimac, Bryce Briggs, Josiah Trotter, Johnny Williams IV and Obinna Onwuka.
Since Rodriguez has taken over, he has brought two players from Jacksonville State – former Martinsburg High School players Jarod Bowie and Jacob Barrick – as well as Tulsa offensive line transfer Walter Young Bear, Jordan Scruggs, a cornerback from South Alabama and Oran Singleton, a wide receiver from Eastern Michigan.
Rodriguez now has his eyes set on several players who are set to Morgantown in the coming weeks. Here’s who West Virginia is currently targeting in the transfer portal:
1. Cam Vaughn: Vaughn tells me that he has already visited West Virginia, but has other visits set up in the coming days. Vaughn, a freshman from Temple, Georgia, 49 receptions for 804 yards and 5 touchdowns last season under Rodriguez at Jacksonville State. Vaughn is a big (6’2) receiver with great speed who would be a perfect big-play receiver for the Mountaineers. (8/10 confidence)
2. Fred Perry: Perry, a 5’11 safety from Vienna, Georgia, is another former Jacksonville State player who has visited West Virginia since Rodriguez became the head coach of the Mountaineers. An All-Conference player last year, Perry finished his junior year with 97 tackles (42 solo), nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. (9/10 confidence)
3. Hauss Hejny: Hejny, a 6’0 freshman quarterback from Aledo, Texas, Hejny had 15 rushes for 65 yards at TCU during his freshman season, but did not throw a pass. Hejny has followed several WVU-related accounts over the last couple of days on social media and clearly has interest, but it remains to be seen if West Virginia has the same level of interest. Since entering the portal last week, Hejny has reportedly been contacted by BYU, James Madison, UCF, Utah, and Utah State. Hejny would be an ideal backup to presumed starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol, but he may want to play immediately. With elite speed and athleticism, Hejny could make his way on the field next season in certain spots while he develops under Marchiol for the next two seasons. West Virginia has its starter, but will need to add depth with freshman Khalil Wilkins not yet ready to step in to lead the program yet. (7/10 confidence)
4. David Pantelis: In four seasons with Yale, David Pantelis has 127 career receptions 1,778 career receiving yards, and 17 career touchdowns. That’s an average of 14 yards per reception. He also averaged 52.3 yards per game. Pantelis was exceptional in 2024, finishing the season with 69 receptions for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns in 11 games. (8/10 confidence)
5. Adam Tomczyk: A 6’3 250 pound defensive end, Tomczyk is an under-the-radar player who the coaching staff has identified as a Power 4 talent who can contribute immediately. According to his social media footprint, Tomczyk and West Virginia have major mutual interest right now. (9/10 confidence)
6. Matthew Henry: A 6’1 wide receiver from Miami, Florida, Henry had 63 receptions for 1,179 yards and 6 touchdowns this season at Western Illinois before entering the transfer portal. Henry is an ultra-talented receiver who has a ton of experience. (8/10 confidence)
7. Mo Westmoreland II: A two-time JUCO All-American, 2 time Conference USA first team All-Conference player and Conference USA’s Sack Leader in 2024 with 7.5 sacks, Westmoreland is an experienced, proven player on the defensive line that West Virginia is very high on. (9/10 confidence)
8. Chris Henry, Jr.: The son of former West Virginia wide receiver Chris Henry and the “nephew” of Adam “Pacman” Jones, Henry, Jr. is the #1 rated wide receiver, the #1 player in California and the #6 overall rated player in the nation, and is reportedly being heavily recruited by Rodriguez and the Mountaineers. Although he is currently still “locked in” as a commit at Ohio State, there are multiple programs, including West Virginia, attempting to steal him from the Buckeyes. Henry recently told national recruiting analyst Tom Loy that Oregon, Tennessee, Alabama and West Virginia are all heavily pursuing him, despite his current commitment to Ohio State. On his interest in West Virginia, Henry said, “Rich Rod coached my pops (the late Chris Henry, Sr.) and my uncle (Adam “Pacman” Jones). It’s West Virginia.” (5/10 confidence)
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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