West Virginia’s Transfer Class Has More Experience Than Any Team in the Country

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 12:34 PM ET

It's been a wild offseason in Morgantown, as you well know. A large number of players exited the West Virginia football program following the coaching change, and a whole new batch of players have transferred in.

The total of overall newcomers is pushing somewhere in the neighborhood of 80, but according to Max Olson's research at ESPN, West Virginia has brought in the second-most transfers of any team in college football (51), falling just one shy of Purdue, which has 52.

Having a massive flip of the roster is concerning, no matter how you try to dress it up, but at the very least, you can have some sense of relief in that the majority of these transfers have in-game experience. According to Olson, the Mountaineers have added more experience through the portal than anyone in the country, leading with most snaps played (32,779) and most starts (462).

"This is one of the most ambitious Year 1 roster flips of the portal era," Olson wrote. "And to his credit, Rich Rod has rapidly surrounded himself with veteran players. No Power 4 program has added more career snaps and starts than West Virginia this offseason. Among the Mountaineers' newcomers are 35 players with starting experience and 16 who've played more than 1,000 snaps at the Division I level. On offense, they're rolling with nine new wide receivers and 10 new offensive linemen. They've totally remade their secondary, too, with 12 DBs added via the portal."

This all sounds nice in theory, but it's not going to be a perfectly polished product right out of the shoot. Understanding of the scheme is still ongoing, as is learning how to play together and off one another. Chemistry is always seen as a QB-WR thing, but it goes way beyond that.

The offensive line, for example, will have a unit that combined to have twelve starts in 2024. Left guard Walter Young Bear (Tulsa) is the owner of eleven of them, while center Landen Livingston notched one against UCF. Right tackle Ty'Kieast Crawford (Arkansas transfer) does have some starting experience, but did not have the role last fall.

Establishing that chemistry up front is going to be essential for this offense to do what it wants. The same can be said about the completely retooled secondary on defense.