Two WVU Defensive Transfers Choose the Same Destination in the Portal

The portal chaos is moving along at a rapid pace as over 3,000 players look to find a new home. On Monday, a pair of now-former West Virginia Mountaineer defenders are teaming up at their next destination.

Safety Israel Boyce signed a deal with South Florida earlier in the day, and then late last night, defensive lineman Asani Redwood committed to complete the mini pipeline to USF.

West Virginia University safety Israel Boyce | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Boyce played in 20 games over the past two seasons for West Virginia, working his way into the rotation behind Darrian Lewis in 2025. In his only year in Zac Alley's defense, Boyce tallied 30 tackles, one pass defended, and one forced fumble. He showed some flashes of someone who could develop into a starter down the line, particularly in the close loss to TCU. The reality is that Boyce would have been in a contributing role again in 2026, so heading somewhere that will allow him to compete for a starting job makes sense.

Boyce will have two years of eligibility remaining.

West Virginia University defensive lineman Asani Redwood | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

As for Redwood, he's someone I had high expectations for after what we saw from him in 2023. It was always going to be a long-term project because of how little experience he had playing the game of football prior to coming to WVU, but you could see that the talent and raw ability were there. In his final two seasons in Morgantown, he registered 40 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three passes defended, and a sack.

Redwood will have one year of eligibility remaining.

It didn't take long for West Virginia to find a replacement for Redwood, landing a commitment from Will LeBlanc of Texas Permian Basin (Division II). Other defensive linemen are still being considered and are working on getting a visit booked.

The Mountaineers have yet to land a safety out of the portal, and while they do have a handful on their big board, it's not among the top priorities this offseason, given the additions of Matt Sieg and Da'Mare Williams.

Where former Mountaineers are transferring to

OL Xavier Bausley ----> Marshall

DL Asani Redwood ----> USF

S Israel Boyce ----> USF

Where former Mountaineers are transferring to

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