Neal Brown, North Texas Land Another West Virginia Transfer

Another former West Virginia Mountaineer is reuniting with ex-WVU head coach Neal Brown in Denton.

Redshirt freshman defensive back Jason Cross Jr. (6'1", 175 lbs) announced on social media Wednesday evening that he has shut down his recruitment and committed to North Texas, becoming the second player to land there this portal cycle, joining running back Jahiem White.

🦅🦅 #GMG @_CoachCod @Coach_NealBrown pic.twitter.com/EXF0pGgKiu
— jc (@JasonCrossJr) January 7, 2026

In his two seasons as a Mountaineer, Cross never saw the field. He took a redshirt in 2024 and then decided to stay put after the coaching change was made last December, sticking with the program through both transfer portal windows.

The Mountaineers loaded up on transfers in the back end this season, leaving very little opportunity for Cross and even some of the other young defensive backs to see the field. By having so many seniors back there, West Virginia and Cross knew that they'd have to replenish that level with experienced players, be it at the junior college level or through the transfer portal.

Coming out of Bishop Canevin High School in Pittsburgh, PA, Cross picked the Mountaineers over finalists Michigan State and Syracuse. He also held offers from the likes of Akron, Boston College, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Marshall, Maryland, Miami (OH), Temple, Texas A&M, Toledo, UConn, and Virginia Tech.

In his final year before coming to Morgantown, Cross registered 41 solo tackles,18 assisted tackles, and 11 tackles for loss.

With several West Virginia players still in the transfer portal, it's probably safe to assume Cross and White won't be the only two who follow Neal Brown to North Texas.

Cross will have three years of eligibility remaining.

West Virginia's updated safety group

Nick Taylor, Julien Horton, Rickey Giles, Matt Sieg, Da'Mare Williams, Jayden Ballard, and Kamari Wilson (Memphis transfer). Iowa transfer Koen Entringer is on campus today.

Where former Mountaineers are transferring to

RB Jahiem White ----> North Texas

OL Xavier Bausley ----> Marshall

OL Robby Martin ----> Marshall

DL Asani Redwood ----> USF

S Israel Boyce ----> USF

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

West Virginia's updated safety group

Where former Mountaineers are transferring to

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