West Virginia

WVSports – DL transfer Jackson excited to close out career at West Virginia

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

WVSports – DL transfer Jackson excited to close out career at West Virginia

West Virginia jumped into the race for Troy defensive line transfer TJ Jackson fast and furious once he entered the transfer portal. And those efforts paid off with a commitment.

Jackson, 6-foot-2, 280-pounds, entered the transfer portal Dec. 28 and the Mountaineers were one of the first programs to join the fray with a scholarship offer. Others would then follow suit such as Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Houston but the West Virginia coaching staff would get him to campus first.

That official visit would prove to be all that was needed as Jackson would announce his commitment to the Mountaineers at the tail end of the trip. He would cancel a planned visit to Houston and instead will enroll at WVU in January to close his college career.

“I loved the campus. Me being from the South you know I’ve never seen anything like it. I loved the snow. I was expecting not to like the cold, but it wasn’t too bad after getting adjusted,” he said.

Jackson steps into the role that was vacated when Tomiwa Durojaiye surprisingly elected to enter the transfer portal this past week right before the deadline. And while he doesn’t bring the multiple years of remaining eligibility that Durojaiye had, Jackson does bring production.

Jackson spent three seasons with the Trojans where he was productive across his 36-games on the field. During that time, the Alabama native 94 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.

This past season Jackson appeared in just 12 games but notched 27 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as a key piece up front for Troy. A versatile defensive lineman, Jackson has the size to play all three downs in the Big 12 and is an athletic pass rusher with plenty of experience under his belt.

Jackson was a first-team all-Sun Belt selection in 2022 when he notched 8 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.

“They want me to play the field end spot and really all over the defensive line,” he said. “They like my hand placement and basically my IQ of the game.”

The fact that West Virginia jumped in and recruited Jackson was hard in a short period of time showed him the need that the coaches had for him to join the program. Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley served as the lead recruiter, but defensive line coach AJ Jackson also played a role.

“They all showed major love,” he said.

And now with one year of eligibility left Jackson is excited for his final chapter in Morgantown as he plans to enroll Jan. 8 in order to get a head start on writing it.

“I’m very excited to finish my career here and ready to get to work,” he said.

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West Virginia

Where West Virginia’s Decommits in the 2026 Recruiting Class Signed & What Happened

Published

11 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Where West Virginia’s Decommits in the 2026 Recruiting Class Signed & What Happened

Now that you know about West Virginia’s 2026 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.

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)

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

West Virginia

West Virginia National Guard member killed in DC laid to rest

Published

23 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

West Virginia National Guard member killed in DC laid to rest

A West Virginia National Guard member who was fatally shot last month in the nation’s capital was laid to rest with full military honors in a private ceremony.

Spc. Sarah Beckstrom’s funeral took place Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.

“The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her,” Morrisey said.

Beckstrom graduated with honors from Webster County High School in 2023 and joined the National Guard several weeks later. She served in the 863rd Military Police Company.

Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. She died the next day.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty.

Morrisey has said Wolfe, who remains in a hospital in Washington, is slowly healing and his family expects he will be in acute care for another few weeks.

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West Virginia

“Naturally, West Virginia” program launched

Published

2 days ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

“Naturally, West Virginia” program launched

MORGANTOWN, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia Agritourism Initiative and West Virginia University Extension Agency are coming together to create “Naturally, West Virginia.”

Naturally West Virginia is an Agritourism Promotion and Support Program designed to help West Virginia’s agritourism business grow and improve.

Dr. Dee Singh-Knights, Professor of Agribusiness Economics and Management, says businesses under this brand demonstrate a commitment to providing a high quality visitor experience and implement the best in agritourism practices.

To be eligible for the program, a business owner must have 10 hours of Agritourism Education and Professional Development Training, be reviewed by the Naturally West Virginia team to explore current practices, areas for improvement, and technical assistance, a West Virginia Agritourism Association Membership, and a completed verification form filed with WVU Extension.

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