WVU football lost a significant portion of their team to the transfer portal this offseason, and added a massive amount of new pieces to the roster via the transfer portal. But there are some familiar faces who have returned to the program to play under new head coach Rich Rodriguez. Here are five players we think will be rewarded for their decision to stick with the Mountaineers.
Preston Fox
Preston Fox played a significant role in the WVU offense over the past two seasons at wide receiver, and also carved out a role as the team's main return specialist. He's been heralded as a locker room favorite and as a receiver with incredibly reliable hands, and he's shown the latter to be true with some jaw-dropping catches. However, it never seemed like he fully clicked in Neal Brown's offense.
He initially decided to retire after Brown's departure, but had one season of eligibility remaining and decided mid-spring to make a comeback, which was welcomed by Rich Rodriguez. Both Rodriguez and wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett have spoken highly of Fox, and there are question marks at the wide receiver position that create an opportunity to finally inherit a role as the primary pass-catching target.
Jahiem White
Jahiem White certainly had the film and the stats to seek out a new home following Brown's termination, and he wouldn't have been the only highly-touted tailback inside the program to do so. Instead he chose to stick around, and he'll likely be better off for it.
White now enters the season as the presumed starter at his position, and will no longer be splitting carries with a bonafide star in CJ Donaldson, who transferred to Ohio State. The Mountaineers did build a talented backfield in the portal, but White is the proven name entering the season. He also will get to feature in a Rodriguez-led system that is known for being a run-oriented offensive attack and caters towards quick, explosive backs built like White.
Landen Livingston
Landen Livingston was highly-touted by Neal Brown and his staff and established himself as a backup center last season for WVU, getting plenty of action as a depth piece and gaining significant Power 4 in-game experience. Given the difficulty of inding reliable lineman in the portal, he certainly could have found a new home.
But he stuck around Morgantown, and seemed to be winning favor with the coaching staff and earning first-team reps at center during spring practices. Since then, he was chosen as one of the team's three player representatives at Big 12 Media Days, indicating that the staff is further pleased with his development.
Israel Boyce
Boyce was an early enrollee during the 2024 spring semester, and had impressive outings both during the 2024 Gold-Blue Spring Game and the 2025 Gold-Blue Spring Showcase, as well as appearing in nine games last season for the Mountaineers as a depth piece at safety.
His performance during the spring game earned praise from Rodriguez despite the fact that he was tight-lipped about player development during the spring and told media not to take too much away from the Spring Showcase. He will be a name many fans haven't learned yet but should keep an eye on this fall.
Reid Carrico
Carrico joined WVU last season after transferring in from Ohio State, becoming a consistent piece of the defensive rotation for the Mountaineers at linebacker after seeing limited action early.
He was open during spring media availability about how he feels at home in Morgantown and didn't want to enter the portal again despite Brown's firing, and brings a 4-star pedigree and multiple years of development inside a blue blood program to a team that was overhauled in the portal. He'll also get a crack at playing underneath a rising star in the coaching world in defensive coordinator Zac Alley.
Honorable Mentions: Kekoura Tarnue, Xavier Bausley
Defensive back Kekoura Tarnue and offensive tackle Xavier Bausley get special mention in this category due to their connections to Rich Rodriguez: both played for Rodriguez in 2023 at Jacksonville State before joining WVU's roster last season. They both decided to stick around Morgantown when Rodriguez returned, and their experience under the current staff could help them play vital roles for the Mountaineers in Rodriguez's first season.