West Virginia and Garnett Hollis Jr., a match made in Almost Heaven.

The former Northwestern cornerback was very particular about where he wanted to go once he entered the transfer portal, meanwhile the WVU coaching staff had it as a top priority to go get an experienced, long corner that can help shutdown one half of the field. On February 20th, Hollis made the move to WVU official.

“I was just ready for a change. I got my degree and I kind of did everything that I wanted to in that program and for my last year I wanted to get everything I could out of college football,” Hollis said about entering the portal. “Coming to West Virginia, they have the fanbase, they have the winning record, they have a lot of players coming back that were key players and they got a good culture over here. Being able to talk to coach (Jevaughn) Codlin and coach ShaDon (Brown), and Drew (Fabianich) throughout the portal they just showed the initiative that I was looking for. I wanted to feel like I was wanted. Having conversations with them every day and getting that feel for them, it only felt right.”

A big part of Hollis’ decision was seeing what Beanie Bishop did in his one and only year at WVU after transferring in from Minnesota. Hollis cited that Bishop had 24 pass breakups last season while he was only targeted 37 times last season at Northwestern. Quite simply, there’s just more opportunities for corners to make plays in the Big 12 than the Big Ten. The coaching staff pitched Bishop’s All-American season and Hollis bought it.

“I got one year left so I’m trying to make the most out of it, I’m trying to get to the next level. So the school that I go to I need to be in a position that I can take that next step. Coach ShaDon, coach Cod, they all made me feel like I could do that. They made me feel like I can be a top round guy. They made me feel like I can come here and make plays. With Beanie’s success, they made me feel like I could make that same success. Just talking to them it felt like I had a true connection.”

Hollis even talked to Bishop a little bit before making the decision, where he raved about WVU’s coaching staff, strength coach Mike Joseph, and just the overall culture that exists in Morgantown. For the cherry on top, Hollis comes to West Virginia with one of his closest friends, Jaheem Joseph, who also transferred in from Northwestern.

“It’s been a smooth transition. I feel like the players really accepted me when I first got here, so that made it a lot easier and then I also had one of my former teammates come with me as well so the transition was a lot easier than me going somewhere where I didn’t know anybody. And then on the field, I feel like we gelled from the beginning. Being able to communicate, being able to talk out schemes, talk out different things on the field that we see and that we like and don’t like. I haven’t had any problems, it’s been a smooth transition.”

Because of Hollis’ length and size, it will allow West Virginia to play more press coverage than they have in years past. By season’s end, this could be one of the Big 12’s best transfers.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

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Between The Eers: WVU Football Game-by-Game Predictions

LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA/Gray News) – A family’s pet kangaroo was seen running loose in a West Virginia neighborhood.

A driver on his way to work told WVVA that the kangaroo slowed traffic on Mud Fork Road in Verdunville.

“I was driving to work, and we had five cars in front of us that stopped in the middle of the road,” said Noah Manns. ” I was trying to look around and see what the holdup was, and when I was able to get into view, I saw a kangaroo hopping up the road.”

When the kangaroo had finally moved off the road, Manns was able to get photos of it.

Manns did not contact law enforcement because he knew the owners, who had bought the animal as a baby.

“I called my friend, and she immediately got ahold of the owners,” said Manns.

The kangaroo was caught and is now back home with its family.

According to the Beth Southern, the communications director for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, it is completely legal to own kangaroos in the Mountain State.

Copyright 2024 WVVA via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

FAIRMONT, W.Va. — New student move-in and Welcome Week activities get underway at Fairmont State University on Thursday.

Associate Director of Student Engagement Justin Rader said the Welcome Week activities help students feel at home, make friends and get excited about fall classes.

“Building those peer-to-peer relationships that are a crucial part of their success,” Rader said. “So, that’s what we encourage for the weekend: that students get out of their rooms, get out of their housing assignments and go interact with their peers.”

Welcome Week officially gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with the Back to School Bash at the Falcon Center Quad. Rader said there are a variety of activities planned with food and treats.

“After that, they will attend several activities starting that evening,” Rader said. “We have a back-to-school bash hosted by one of our student organizations on campus and a game night with a soda float bar station.”

The estimate is that 40 percent of the Falcon student body is made up of first-generation students. Rader said the school was awarded a $5,000 grant through the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) to hold a week of recognition from Nov. 4-8.

“We want to highlight their resilience and the tenacity of the first-generation college student who steps out of the traditions of their family and says, ‘I’m going to be the first to come to college, and I’m going to be the first to get this type of degree,’” Rader said.

Live music will also return this year, according to Rader. At 8 p.m. Saturday, “The Walk of Shame” will take the stage in the Falcon Center Quad for a live show.

“They’re a cover band out of Pittsburgh called The Walk of Shame,” Rader said. “They do 90’s, 2000’s, Indie, and country, and they have over 500 songs in their portfolio.”

On Sunday, Aug. 25, students will participate in the Day of Action with the Tygart Valley United Way. Students will meet the leaders of local non-profits and understand the challenges facing the community while pitching in and helping out.

“Some of our spots are the community garden, Palatine Park, the Center of Hope, and the Marion County Humane Society,” Rader said. “So, get out there helping and giving back to the community.”