West Virginia wide receiver transfer Traylon Ray grew up playing football in Tallahassee at North Florida Christian. As the sophomore wide receiver looks for his next stop in his collegiate career, a return home to play at Florida State has emerged as an option for the 6-foot-1 and 195-pound receiver.

Ray took a short visit to Tallahassee just before the holiday break and then returned to Florida State for his official visit on Friday.

After his visit concluded on Saturday afternoon, Ray believes that Florida State could be a place that helps push his career forward and get him to where he wants to be.

“Main thing (I’m looking for) is a school that is going to develop me,” Ray said. “I’m on my last two years of college football so I’m trying to take that next step and get to that next part of my career — get to the NFL. FSU is looking like one of those schools that can help me do that so I will go through the rest of my visits and then make my decision off of that.”

Florida State was the first program to host Ray since he entered the portal in December. Ray still has visits to Mississippi State and Ole Miss lined up before he intends to make a final decision next week.

A return visit back to his hometown was on the cards first.

“It was good to come back home. It felt good. I got to talk to (Mike) Norvell and the rest of the coaches. It was good getting to talk to them. It felt better coming back now than when I was in high school. It was good to be back home so overall it was a great visit,” Ray said.

“Being a local, I’ve already seen it all pretty much,” he continued. “I just wanted to take the visit to get to know the coaches. After being around them, I love being around them, talking to them, talking ball.”

Ray got to meet new wide receivers coach Tim Harris for the second time and had positive things to say about getting to know Harris more over the last 24 hours.

“He is a great guy. He is for his players,” Ray said. “He is more like family in a way and he is going coach you that way. He knows that not everyone can be coached the same so his coaching style and how he carries himself, I’m very impressed with.”

Florida State has already added considerable size at the wide receiver position in the portal via USC transfer Duce Robinson. Ray resembles a more traditional downfield threat and that’s how he would be used at Florida State.

“I would be the guy that can move around over the field. Of course I got my injury and stuff like that but they have the trust that I will get back and work that injury back (to normal). That was something that was good about coming to the visit, he (Norvell) believes in me and so does Gus (Malzahn).”

The injury Ray mentioned was a significant leg injury that occurred in October. He attended all of his official visits using a walking scooter to help him traverse campus. According to Ray, he should be able to resume walking in two weeks and will get his boot off in six. A return to action prior to spring ball is possible but currently the timeline for return to full contact is over the summer.

Ray left his visit on Saturday with the intent of taking the aforementioned visits to both SEC schools in Mississippi. His decision is expected to come next week.

West Virginia and Oklahoma State face off at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday at noon. The Mountaineers are 1-0 in Big 12 play, while the Cowboys are 0-1 in league play.

Computer models such as BartTorvik, BPI, and KenPom predict the matchup between both teams.

BPI — The Basketball Power Index projects West Virginia to win. They give the Mountaineers an 86.1 percent chance to get the job done at home over the Cowboys. WVU is ranked 45th by BPI, while OSU is ranked 108th.

BartTorvik — BartTorvik gives West Virginia an 87 percent chance to win the game on Saturday. The projected score for the game is West Virginia coming out on top 77-65. WVU’s T-Rank is 30th in the country, while Oklahoma State’s is 110th.

KenPom — KenPom also gives the Mountaineers the edge, as they are giving the home team an 87 percent chance of winning against Oklahoma State. KenPom projects West Virginia will win, 77-65, as well. The Mountaineers are ranked 46th in KenPom, while Oklahoma State is ranked 108th.

Tip-off is set for noon from the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, with the game set to be televised on CBSSports Network.

POCAHONTAS COUNTY, W.Va (WDTV) – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture has confirm a cause of Avian Influenza in a backyard flock in Pocahontas County.

This mark the second case of HPAI in domestic birds in West Virginia since the start of the global outbreak in early 2022.

The diagnosis was made by a field investigation, sample collection, and testing at WVDA’s Animal Health Lab in Moorefield.

The affected is currently under quarantine, and the birds have been depopulated to prevent a disease spread. These efforts help ensure the safety and integrity of the commercial food supply.

“The WVDA acted swiftly to contain the disease and remains committed to collaborating with poultry owners to prevent its spread,” stated West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt. “As the state’s leading agricultural commodity, protecting the poultry industry is critical, and implementing emergency response plans is essential to safeguarding its future.”

Avian influenza is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. The virus also infects a wide variety of other birds, including wild migratory waterfowl. HPAI has been detected in various species of mammals—presumably after the animals come into contact with infected wild birds. For more information on current detections in domestic poultry, livestock, and wildlife across the U.S., please visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s webpage.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health risk associated with avian influenza remains low. As a reminder, people should properly handle and cook all poultry and eggs.

For additional precautions against the virus, visit the CDC’s Avian Influenza Guidance.

To prevent the spread of the disease, WVDA urges poultry owners to:

• Limit, monitor, and record any movement of people, vehicles, or animals on or off the farm.
• Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm.
• Avoid visiting other poultry farms or unnecessary travel off the farm.
• Disinfect equipment, vehicles, footwear, and other items in contact with flocks.
• Keep flocks away from wild or migratory birds, especially waterfowl.
• Isolate any ill animals and contact your veterinarian immediately.

Poultry owners should report unusual death loss, a drop in egg production, or any sick domestic birds to WVDA’s Animal Health Division at 304-558-2214.

Copyright 2025 WDTV. All rights reserved.