West Virginia has been quite active in the transfer portal.
The Mountaineers have made a total of 31 additions out of the database since Rich Rodriguez took over the program and another out of the junior college ranks.
It’s been a wide range of additions from a lot of different places at this point with five players following Rodriguez from Jacksonville State, seven from the Power Four, 17 from the Group of Five and FCS level, and even two from Division II. It helps matters that almost all of those are already enrolled on campus.
Out of the players that have committed to the Mountaineers the bulk are experienced options that should be able to step in and contribute immediately at their respective positions.
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When it comes to the players that followed Rodriguez, he was able to take the highly productive safety Fred Perry as well as his leading receiver from a year ago Cam Vaughn for example.
Some of the ones that stand out from the rest of the list are Texas San Antonio edge rusher Jimmori Robinson, who was named American Athletic Defensive Player of the Year, South Alabama nickel Jordan Scruggs, Nevada cornerback Michael Coats, Princeton offensive lineman Will Reed, Wyoming defensive end Braden Siders, Colorado State linebacker Chase Wilson, Northern Iowa running back Tye Edwards and more.
The program heavily addressed several positions such as the defensive backfield, offensive line and wide receiver, while there were other key pledges in other spots on the roster.
Take the defensive backfield for example, the Mountaineers coaching staff added a total of nine new players to the cornerback and safety positions rooms each with one season of eligibility remaining. That is going to force competition in spots where there simply weren’t many returning snaps from a season ago.
Out of those nine, almost all of them have played over 1,000 snaps in their career at this stage.
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The offensive line also was hit hard with key additions beginning with Reed, who started 19 games for the Tigers over the past two seasons and was a key target at offensive tackle.
Outside of him, the coaching staff added three more experienced options in Tulsa offensive guard Walter Young Bear, Arkansas offensive tackle Ty’kieast Crawford and LSU offensive guard Kimo Manake’ole. Young Bear is a two-year starter, while Crawford has appeared in 39 games and Manake’ole spent time in the SEC.
West Virginia also added some young options in North Carolina State offensive lineman Robby Martin and Youngstown State interior lineman Wyatt Minor.
That position is going to remain a priority moving forward but just to add those pieces at this stage at a position that is difficult to reload after losing the top six options and several key backups from a season ago is a major move in the right direction in terms of the roster build.
It goes without saying that Robinson is a major pledge for the Mountaineers after he recorded 43 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2024 for the Roadrunners. At 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, Robinson is a prototypical edge rusher, and the program was able to beat out several major programs for services.
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West Virginia also added five new wide receivers to the roster and those additions count for five of the top six in terms of snaps played last season.
The work isn’t done quite yet either, but so far the Mountaineers have shown the ability to be aggressive when it comes to rebuilding their roster through the transfer portal.
Join the Main Street Morgantown family-friendly holiday shopping event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 13) in Downtown Morgantown.
The event will feature a district-wide scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes and the opportunity to explore holiday pop-up markets by Hoot and Howl, The Co-Op and Apothecary Ale House.
While exploring downtown shops, participants who spot DASH the Dog can collect stamps. Each stamp brings participants closer to the chance of winning prizes from downtown merchants such as gift cards and goods. To qualify for prizes, completed Downtown Dash Guides with five or more stamps must be turned into Hoot and Howl, The Co-Op, Apothecary Ale House or at Breezeline’s play-to-win tent on Courthouse Square.
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As a break from shopping, parents and their little ones can visit Kids Craft, Cookies & Cocoa Central at the WARD Building to enjoy a complimentary hot cocoa and cookie bar and children’s crafts provided by Hotel Morgan sponsored by Main Street Morgantown and Breezeline.
Visitors can also visit the beautiful 25-foot-tall holiday tree on display at Courthouse Square, a collaboration between the City of Morgantown, Monongalia County and Main Street Morgantown.
Sponsored by Breezeline, the Downtown Dash celebrates the holiday season, promotes walking and shopping throughout the downtown district, and supports local businesses by driving foot traffic directly to storefronts.
WHEELING, W.Va. — The West Virginia First Foundation visited the Wheeling Police Department to commend its efforts in addressing the area’s mental health and opioid crisis.
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger presented to the WVFF board, highlighting the department’s progress.
Schwertfeger attributed a 14% decrease in Group A crimes from 2024 to 2025 to the department’s crisis intervention program.
“Just another great partnership,” he said. “More collaboration in this area that we are very proud of and we want to keep the momentum going,.”
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WVFF Executive Director Jonathan Board praised the program’s success.
“This in particular, the CIT program, that isn’t just in the ether, but is showing success – actual scientific success about de-escalation, about bringing together services providers and to boots on the ground and first responders, this is vitally important to not only this region but the entire state,” Board said.
The visit was part of WVFF’s ‘Hold the Line’ tour across the state.
Now that you know about West Virginia’s2026 recruiting class, I figured it’d be a good time to give a little insight into those who were once committed to the Mountaineers and landed elsewhere.
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What happened, and where did they go?
QB Brodie McWhorter (Mississippi State)
McWhorter committed to Neal Brown and his coaching staff, but reopened his recruitment when the coaching change was made. Rich Rodriguez did recruit him at the beginning, holding several conversations with him before backing off and pursuing Jyron Hughley and Legend Bey. Hughley committed, Bey committed to Ohio State (signed with Tennessee), while WVU added two more quarterbacks in Wyatt Brown and John Johnson III.
RB Jett Walker (Texas)
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Walker fit the bill for what Rodriguez wanted in the backfield. A big, physical presence who could absorb contact and hammer it in between the tackles. With multiple backs committed and feeling good about a few others, WVU didn’t feel pressed to hold onto him. Walker flipped to Minnesota and then flipped to Texas just three weeks later
WR Jeffar Jean-Noel (Georgia Tech)
Jean-Noel was the second recruit to commit to Rodriguez in the 2026 class, but reopened his recruitment in mid-April. He then considered Purdue, Pitt, Kentucky, UCF, and Florida State before landing at Georgia Tech.
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OL Justyn Lyles (Marshall)
The Mountaineers had a number of offensive line commits, and with the late additions of Kevin Brown and Aidan Woods, and their chances of securing Jonas Muya, Lyles took a visit to Marshall and flipped his commitment.
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LB Caleb Gordon (North Carolina)
Gordon’s commitment to WVU was very brief. As a matter of fact, it was the shortest of the bunch, announcing his pledge on November 24th and then flipping to NC State on the first day of the early signing period (December 3rd).
LB Daiveon Taylor (Kent State)
Taylor was the first commit in the class; however, it was so early that he was committed to Neal Brown’s staff, announcing his decision in April of 2024. He backed off that pledge the very day Brown was fired (December 1st) and eventually signed with Kent State.
CB Emari Peterson (unsigned)
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Peterson decommitted from WVU just days before signing day, likely due to the Mountaineers zeroing in on a pair of JUCO corners in Rayshawn Reynolds and Da’Mun Allen. He will sign in February and currently has offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Charlotte, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Liberty, LSU, South Florida, Southern Miss, Texas A&M, Toledo, Wake Forest, and a few others.
S Aaron Edwards (committed to Tulsa)
West Virginia chose to part ways with Edwards and ultimately replaced his spot with fellow JUCO safety Da’Mare Williams.
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S Jaylon Jones (undecided)
Jones decommitted in late October and did not sign during the early signing period. He will likely choose between Central Michigan, Hawai’i, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Texas State.
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S Taj Powell (Louisville)
Taj is the brother of former Mountaineer basketball guard Jonathan Powell, who is now at North Carolina. He decommitted the day after West Virginia lost to Ohio and flipped to Louisville that same day.
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Former West Virginia Coordinator Fired After Just One Season at Texas
Another West Virginia Running Back Expected to Hit the Transfer Portal
