ADVERTISEMENT

Transfer Portal Gold Mine

Volatility

Senior
Jun 27, 2018
873
616
153
Charleston WV
www.equitysciences.com
There are some absolute gems in the portal at the moment, highly rated guys with a few years left of eligibility... Auburn, Tennessee, VT, and a few others imploding this year, creating some opportunities for Neal Brown to more quickly fill any talent gaps... Its gonna be interesting to see where a few of these guys go soon!
 
We have 6 slots available to fill, and when you look at the current transfer portal, there are a good collection of highly rated players with multiple years of eligibility remaining for each position.

1. OL Take 2 here: (Colin Henrich(still HS) or Bryan Hudson, & Doug Nester(both Class of 2019)
2. LB Osman Savage ( We recruited him out of HS, but committed to Michigan, class of 2020)
3. CB MJ Devonshire (We recruited from HS, from Aliquippa class of 2019, committed to KY)
4. A few options at DT, SDE, & WDE, tho none Im personally familiar
5. WR Rashawn Williams ( Recruited from HS, class of 2020, committed to Indiana)

If you follow WVU recruiting, you def see a few names you recognize, which means they already have a relationship with some of the staff. DL is the only position group I didnt see a name we had pursued, but thats not to say the staff isnt familiar with any of the quality options available. Each of these players, except Colin which is still an uncommitted HS recruit, still has 3+ years of eligibility, which I think is important when maximizing the positive impact of using the portal to improve talent level. Even if we just added a few of these names to the 2021 class, it would help put the finishing touches on what has been a great class. Going to be exciting to see who Brown tries to bring #Home..
 
Mookie Cooper WR OSU commit class of 2020, is also in the portal... Would be a great way to add more speed & shiftiness to the WR room... Wouldnt have to relocate far either... If Brown reels in some of the portal gold, he can make a big dent in the talent gap this cycle...
 
Savage didn't see the field at Michigan, but he was just a freshman. LB was one of Michigan's decent squads. I think he picked Michigan over Maryland and West Virginia last year, so you may have a shot, but not sure if he's ready to step in and make an impact. I suspect he'll probably go to Maryland, if they're even interested in him. He's from Baltimore.
 
Mookie Cooper WR OSU commit class of 2020, is also in the portal... Would be a great way to add more speed & shiftiness to the WR room... Wouldnt have to relocate far either... If Brown reels in some of the portal gold, he can make a big dent in the talent gap this cycle...
Yep, Mookie is a good prospect and a legitimate four-star WR. He simply got lost in the numbers game, as he was behind three five-star freshman receivers and a five-star sophomore receiver. I think that he's from Missouri, though, so he might head closer to home.
 
Savage didn't see the field at Michigan, but he was just a freshman. LB was one of Michigan's decent squads. I think he picked Michigan over Maryland and West Virginia last year, so you may have a shot, but not sure if he's ready to step in and make an impact. I suspect he'll probably go to Maryland, if they're even interested in him. He's from Baltimore.

I would much rather Brown seek portal players who have >= 3 years of eligibility, I think you get more from it, instead of graduate transfer or a guy with 2 years... Savage was a low 4 star LB, but its understandable he wouldnt get much playing time as a true freshmen, all the guys I mentioned are the 2019 or 2020 class, so that would give them all a few years at WVU to develop & make a greater impact. We recruited all of them, instead of Mookie & Bryan Hudson, but if Nester comes to WVU, maybe he can bring his teammate too.. Both of which are 4 star OL in 2019 class for VT.. Savage would be a good addition, I think so anyways..

The portal is absolutely stacked with good talent at the moment, many of which have >= 3 yrs of elig... If Brown can add a few of them into the 2021 class, it would definitely help fill any talent gaps in the 2020 & 2019 classes. Ultimately they will still require some time to develop, but thats totally acceptable given how many years they can help the program.

Brown mentioned he will add:

OL, LB, DB, WR, & DL.... From his comments you get an idea he has something specific in mind for WR & DL, of which Im not privy, but if he uses the portal, id rather he go for players that have multiple years of production. 2020 madness has brought more talent to the portal this year, so if exploited effectively, it could be a great tool for Brown & Staff to take another small step forward in reducing the talent gap between WVU & OU. WVU also has a few players in the portal, so that creates a few more players we can add if they leave, I dont know what our scholarship numbers will be if a couple seniors come back next year, so instead of adding 6 players, it may or could be 8-9. Maybe he will hold a couple back, hoping to add a couple more next year, for any 2020 players to enter the portal, with the hopes of making the 2020 class as strong as possible, which makes sense to try to stack the 2020 & 2021 classes, as these classes & Staff will be more seriously analyzed & criticized with regard to on the field results
 
Yep, Mookie is a good prospect and a legitimate four-star WR. He simply got lost in the numbers game, as he was behind three five-star freshman receivers and a five-star sophomore receiver. I think that he's from Missouri, though, so he might head closer to home.

I just watched his Junior film, and if he's continued to develop his hands & shiftiness, he would definitely fill the "Big Play Threat" void we have on the roster atm... Personally, I hope Brown continues to build our roster to smaller, faster, shiftier body types.... Its just so damn hard to scheme against, and its fun to watch too!
 
Cooper doesn't have the best people in his life.
I guess he felt like he was already "there" for his mother. Or at least she felt he was already "there".
He has a long way to go to take his mom out of East St Louis.

His HS coach ended up at Illinois. I don't know if he is on the new staff

I expect Illinois to be the destination.
His cousin plays there.
 
You guys sound like WVU is the only school searching the portal for instant help. You do know there are about 130 other schools doing the same thing?
 
Portal problems and opportunities go both ways. We've lost 10 to the portal already. 6 schollies and 4 w/o's. We will lose more. You can bet on it.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT