Curtis Jones Jr. Transfers to One of West Virginia's Most Heated Rivals

A West Virginia kid born and raised has left the Mountaineers for one of the program's biggest rivals, Virginia Tech.

Linebacker and part-time running back Curtis Jones Jr. announced on X on Saturday that he would be leaving Morgantown for Blacksburg, where he'll be a part of James Franklin's first team.

Thank the lord🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/wwFNoSwlH0
— Curtis Jones Jr (@CurtisJonesJr6) January 18, 2026

Now, not every kid from the state that's good enough to play Division I football needs to play for West Virginia, and there have been several over the years that haven't. But to commit, sign, and spend multiple years with the Mountaineers to then transfer to one of the school's biggest rivals, well, is certainly a move.

The two programs haven't played one another since 2023 and have no games on the docket in the future, but it just goes to show how much the college landscape has changed. Something like this would have been a rarity, even as much as 10-15 years ago. Now that NIL is a key part, if not the driving force, of most decisions, these sorts of things are becoming more normal.

A source told West Virginia On SI that Jones' decision to enter the portal was a surprise. They had many discussions with players, telling them they either wouldn't have a spot on next year's roster or that they wouldn't be in a position to play much. That's not something that was said to the Huntington native. The staff fully anticipated him to be a key piece of Zac Alley's defense in 2026 and beyond.

This past season, Jones recorded 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, two passes defended, one forced fumble, and a sack.

Tracking where former West Virginia Mountaineers are transferring to

RB Cyncir Bowers ----> UConn

RB Jahiem White ----> North Texas

WR Rodney Gallagher III ----> Arizona

WR Christian Hamilton ----> Marshall

WR Oran Singleton ----> Tulsa

WR Cam Vaughn ----> Miami

OL Xavier Bausley ----> Marshall

OL Donovan Haslam ----> Tennessee

OL Robby Martin ----> Marshall

DL Asani Redwood ----> South Florida

DL Hammond Russell IV ----> Wisconsin

EDGE Curtis Jones Jr. ----> Virginia Tech

EDGE MarShon Oxley ----> South Florida

LB Ben Bogle ----> Arkansas

S Israel Boyce ----> South Florida

S Jason Cross Jr. ----> North Texas

S Zae Jennings ----> Buffalo

S Chris Fileppo ----> Penn State

K Ethan Head ----> Troy

P Aidan Stire ----> Akron

Tracking where former West Virginia Mountaineers are transferring to

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