West Virginia Enters the Mix for Tennessee DB Transfer John Slaughter

The Mountaineers are looking to beef up their depth in the secondary.

Tennessee defensive back John Slaughter (12) celebrating with teammates during the NCAA college football game against Kent State on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 in Knoxville, Tenn. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the areas new West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez knew he had to address when he first took the job was the secondary.

The Mountaineers were atrocious in pass coverage in 2024 from top to bottom. Just about everyone who saw the field struggled at various levels, resulting in being ranked 120th against the pass out of 134 FBS teams. Only six Power Four teams allowed more through the air per game.

Rodriguez landed several transfers back in the winter to reshape the back end of the defensive unit, but he's far from finished. The coaching staff will continue to search for capable and reliable options at both corner and safety, which they've already shown by landing Nick Taylor out of Appalachian State.

Also recently, WVU contacted Tennessee safety transfer John Slaughter. The 6'2", 197-pound defensive back spent two years with the Vols, appearing in 23 games. He played in 13 games as a true freshman, but was primarily a special teams player. As a sophomore, he continued his special teams duties with some action sprinkled in on defense, logging just under 20 snaps.

Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida State, Liberty, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Tulane, and Tulsa have also been in talks with Slaughter since entering the transfer portal, according to The Portal Report.

He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

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