CJ Donaldson Explains Decision to Return to WVU

CJ Donaldson took the Big 12 by storm during his true freshman campaign in 2022. He came to West Virginia as a tight end/receiver but converted to running back during fall camp after running backs coach Chad Scott and head coach Neal Brown fell in love with the idea of getting him more involved in the backfield.

"When we recruited him, we told him he was a hybrid. He'll do everything," Scott said in August. "But he did a lot in high school with the ball in his hands. Wasn't sure necessarily how he would respond to it, but he was very open to it. He said, 'Coach, I'm just a ballplayer, just put the ball in my hands'. It's been very impressive to see how he's picked up on things. He's done a phenomenal job outside the game, studying the offense. He'll say 'Coach, just quiz me, just test me' and we've thrown him into the fire and he hasn't been nervous at all."

Donaldson began his WVU career with a bang, rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries in the season opener against Pitt. That game was just the beginning of what turned out to be a special year. Unfortunately, his season came to an end when he suffered a serious leg injury in the loss to TCU. His final numbers for the year? 526 yards and eight touchdowns on 87 carries (6.0 yards per carry).

Following an impressive first year, the 6'2", 240-pound back became a huge topic of discussion at the end of the season. There was uncertainty surrounding Neal Brown's future and ultimately Donaldson's. He took WVU out of his Twitter profile briefly which sent fans into a panic wondering if this signified a potential departure from the program. Donaldson explained why he made those changes to his bio during a sit down interview with Amanda Mazey of Country Roads Trust.

"It was just more of like me being closed-space. I had just got hurt and didn't really want to see too much of football. I wasn't even watching football games at the time. I was watching regular TV. It was hard for me to see the team go out the tunnel and play the game. It was very hard. Even practices, just watching them practice going hard at each other. It was hard to watch. So, it was just me trying to stay as far away as possible from football."

So why did Donaldson choose to remain at WVU and not enter the transfer portal?

"I only had three official offers and it was only one Power Five school which was West Virginia. This school believed in me before any other school did. And in addition to that, my original coach, when I signed, he left the next week. So I didn't commit to just a coach. I committed to the program. This program fits me socially, on the field, and academics, so this is where I want to be."

Donaldson also mentioned in the interview that he is making progress in his rehab and could play a little bit of spring ball.

To watch the full interview, click here.

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