WVU is in Position to Land Georgia DB Transfer JaCorey Thomas for 2026 Season

The Mountaineers may add one more player to the 2026 football roster, as they are expected to get a commitment from former Georgia defensive back JaCorey Thomas, according to multiple reports. Thomas and several other players recently received a temporary restraining order against the NCAA from a judge in Dallas, giving them a fifth year of eligibility.

Thomas spent rookie minicamp with the Carolina Panthers but did not sign a pro contract with them or any other NFL team. So this is a situation very similar to WVU cornerback Jason Chambers, who is awaiting his hearing on September 24th. Chambers spent time with the New York Jets in rookie minicamp.

For the first three years of his career, Thomas was primarily a depth piece on the Bulldogs' defense who spent time serving on the special teams unit. In 2025, he moved into a starting role at free safety and finished the season with 45 tackles (26 solo), one tackle for loss, and a sack. He was a sure tackler in space, missing just four tackles on the year, giving him a missed tackle rate of just 7.8%.

West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez discussed the possibility of still adding a player a week ago, stating, "We still have a spot or two. We had a school tryout, and we still have a spot, maybe to bring a guy in of the guys that have tried out. We may do that. We’re kind of waiting to get through this week before we determine that part of it. We’re always on the look for players. Now, we’re not looking at NFL rosters right now or any guys that just got cut.”

Currently, West Virginia has UNLV transfer Andrew Powdrell and true freshman Matt Sieg still duking it out for the starting free safety spot. If and when Thomas is added, he could factor into the mix there or play some in the box since he is a bigger body at 6-foot, 205 pounds.

Coming out of Boone High School in Orlando, Florida, Thomas was ranked as a four-star recuit by the folks at 247 Sports and chose the Bulldogs over offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon State, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, South Florida, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCF, West Virginia (the Neal Brown staff), and several others.

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