Transfer Portal Cripples WVU's Depth at Receiver
The NCAA transfer portal has not been too kind to West Virginia this season, particularly in the wide receivers room. The Mountaineers have lost Isaiah Esdale, Winston Wright Jr., and Sean Ryan (three of the top five receivers) within the last month, joining Sam Brown who entered the portal in November.
These transfers have left the Mountaineers with just five scholarship receivers currently on the roster, but one of them, Graeson Malashevich, is a former walk-on. Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Sam James have the most experience and combined for 84 receptions for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Kaden Prather could be the next star receiver to come through WVU, but it's going to take some time for him to reach his full potential, meaning Ford-Wheaton and James will have to elevate their level of production.
Reese Smith will be entering his third year in the program and could see an increase in targets but I would expect Jeremiah Aaron, the JUCO transfer, to fill in for Winston Wright in the slot. This past season at Navarro College, Aaron hauled in 49 receptions for 911 yards, averaging 18.6 yards per catch. Aaron led all of junior college with 1,667 all-purpose yards and receiving yards per game (94.1) in 2021.
Finally, the only other receiver that is set to be on West Virginia's roster in 2022 is incoming freshman Jarel Williams. Williams (6'2", 190lbs) of Saraland, Alabama, has the look of a WR1, but that will be a few years down the road. I would anticipate him having a similar role to the one that Kaden Prather had this past season. He'll see some action here and there, but will start to see more snaps toward the end of the year. By 2023, he should be in the top four of the Mountaineers' wide receiver rotation.
With a major lack of experience and depth currently in that room, I would imagine that Neal Brown has to make it a point of emphasis to go out and pursue 1-2 players in the transfer portal himself. Injuries happen all the time in football and if the Mountaineers were to go into the 2022 season without adding via the portal, they could be in a real tough spot if one or two guys get banged up. Not to mention, it's not like the WVU receivers have made a ton of plays over the past two seasons. Drops continue to be an issue along with making contested catches. Aside from Aaron, Brown seems to be continuously recruiting bigger, longer receivers. If they do attack the portal, don't be surprised to see it be someone who can go up and win 50/50 balls rather than a make-you-miss kind of receiver.
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