Breakdown of What WVU Lost & Gained Through the Transfer Portal
Like just about every other team in the country, West Virginia's roster saw a lot of turnover this offseason thanks to the transfer portal. Twenty scholarship players left the program with seventeen of them finding new homes. Tight end Corbin Page, defensive end Aric Burton, and safety Saint McLeod remain in the portal.
West Virginia lost key pieces on both sides of the ball with last year's Week 1 starters QB JT Daniels, RB Tony Mathis, WR Kaden Prather, WR Reese Smith, TE Mike O'Laughlin, DL Taijh Alston, DL Jordan Jefferson, and CB Charles Woods all departing from the program. Daniels, O'Laughlin, Smith, and Alston make sense as three of the four were older players who had one year left and you could argue the team had better options sitting behind them.
The departures of Mathis, Prather, Jefferson, and Woods, however, are going to be felt this fall.
Neal Brown brought in 14 transfers over the last several months, five of which come from another Power Five school. That said, those five either have very little experience or were seldomly used at their previous school.
Below is a breakdown of what West Virginia gained and lost in the transfer portal. You'll find each player's stats from the 2022 season listed underneath their name.
Transferred to Power Five school: (6/17)
RB Tony Mathis ---> Houston
135 carries, 562 yards, 5 TDs
WR Kaden Prather ---> Maryland
52 receptions, 501 yards, 3 TDs
TE Mike O'Laughlin ---> Houston
5 receptions, 66 yards
DE Taijh Alston ---> Colorado
18 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
DL Jordan Jefferson ---> LSU
31 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks
EDGE Lanell Carr ---> Indiana
21 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack
Transferred to Group of Five school: (10/17)
QB Will Crowder ---> Troy
6/6 (100%) for 85 yards, 1 TD
QB JT Daniels ---> Rice
200/327 (61.2%) for 2,107 yards, 13 TDs, 9 INTs
WR Reese Smith ---> Liberty
19 receptions, 205 yards, 1 TD
OL Chris Mayo ---> Eastern Michigan
Played in one game (22 snaps vs Towson).
OL Jordan White ---> Liberty
Played in four games as a reserve.
CB Caleb Coleman ---> Texas State
3 tackles
CB Naim Muhammad ---> Kent State
5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
CB Charles Woods ---> SMU
7 tackles (transferred mid-year)
CB Mumu Bin-Wahad ---> UConn
4 tackles
DB Jaylon Shelton ---> Texas State
Played in one game (at Texas Tech)
Transferred to FCS school: (1/17)
S Tyrin Woodby ---> Morgan State
No stats.
Transferred to West Virginia (14)
Transferred from another Power Five school: (5/14)
WR Devin Carter (North Carolina State)
25 receptions, 406 yards, 2 TDs
TE Kole Taylor (LSU)
5 receptions, 55 yards
DL Tomiwa Durojaiye (Kentucky)
Played in three games.
DL Fatorma Mulbah (Penn State)
Played special teams.
CB Beanie Bishop (Minnesota)
29 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack.
Transferred from Group of Five school: (6/14)
WR EJ Horton (Marshall)
12 receptions, 186 yards, 1 TD
WR Ja'Shaun Poke (Kent State)
31 receptions, 362 yards, 1 TD, 14 kick returns, 411 KR yards
CB Montre Miller (Kent State)
52 tackles, 8 pass breakups, two interceptions
S Keyshawn Cobb (Buffalo)
66 tackles, 8 pass breakups, 1 interception
S Anthony Wilson (Georgia Southern)
101 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups, 1 interception
K/P Michael Hayes (Georgia State)
11/14 FG, 56 punts for 2,351 yards (42 avg)
Transferred from FCS: (2/14)
DL Davoan Hawkins (Tennessee State)
31 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, one sack
EDGE Tyrin Bradley (Abilene Christian)
49 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks
Transferred from Division II: (1/4)
WR Noah Massey (Angelo State)
52 receptions, 682 yards, 4 TDs
You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:
Facebook - @MountaineersNow
Twitter - @MountaineersNow and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.
