Rodney Gallagher Transfers to Big 12 School, Will Face WVU in Morgantown in 2026

With just one year left in his collegiate career, former West Virginia wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III will head out west to play for Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats.

BearDown🐻🔴🔵 #Committed pic.twitter.com/oNh8a5XmTS
— Rodney Gallagher 3rd (LLC💕) (@Rodney_G3) January 10, 2026

Gallagher was a highly touted recruit coming out of Laurel Highlands High School just up the road in Uniontown, PA. The consensus four-star athlete picked the Mountaineers over offers from Arizona State, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, North Carolina State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Texas, UConn, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, and a few others.

It took some time for Gallagher to crack the rotation at receiver after having played quarterback and defense in high school. As a freshman, he pulled down 10 passes for 74 yards, while also showing some potential as a weapon on jetsweeps, rushing for 87 yards on 15 carries. He took a sizable step as a sophomore, recording 26 catches for 288 yards and three scores, but never made that next-level leap that Mountaineer fans were hoping to see.

During his only year in Rich Rodriguez's offense, Gallagher finished with 28 receptions for 243 yards and was held out of the end zone. He also added 83 yards on 14 carries.

West Virginia does need more production out of the slot position and will turn to JUCO product Kedrick Triplett for that. Others that could be in the mix there are Armoni Weaver, Troy transfer DJ Epps, and maybe even UConn transfer John Neider.

Gallagher and the Wildcats will face the Mountaineers next fall in Morgantown. A date for that game will be determined when the Big 12 Conference releases the schedule for the entire league, which typically takes place sometime in late January or early February.

To keep track of all the movement, be sure to visit the West Virginia Football Transfer Tracker. There, we will have a full list of players who are leaving WVU for the portal, which players have been offered by WVU, who have scheduled a visit, and a mini breakdown for those who end up choosing the Mountaineers.

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