6 potential transfer portal prospects to keep an eye on for WVU football

The West Virginia Mountaineers finished their first season of head coach Rich Rodriguez's second-tenure a disappointing 4-8, and are now hard at work figuring out how to turn the critical second season into one better than this past year.

WVU brought in over 80 new players last season in a roster rebuild, and between seniors graduating and players on the current roster who intend to enter the transfer portal once it opens in January, it looks like there will be plenty of new players once again next year. The Mountaineers have added nearly 50 players in their 2026 high school and JUCO signing class, and Rodriguez has said he intends to add 10-12 "impact transfers." Early back-of-napkin math indicates that number may need to higher, even. Here's an early list of transfer portal targets West Virginia might be interested in.

Colton Joseph, QB, Old Dominion

Joseph is a no-brainer choice, as he is the perfect fit for Rodriguez's offense and is coming off a highly successful season at an Group of 5 program located on the east coast. Joseph led the Monarchs to a 9-3 finish and second-place finish in the Sun Belt East behind CFP qualifier James Madison, and helped Old Dominion defeat Power 4 program Virginia Tech and keep within 13 points of No. 1 CFP seed Indiana.

He's a true dual-threat quarterback, and passed for 2,624 yards and ran for 1,007 yards his season while tallying 34 total touchdowns, and has two years of eligibility remaining. He's a highly-touted prospect and will be hard to land, as plenty of comparable landing spots will be in competition. But WVU would be dumb to not be in contact.

Marcus Stokes, QB, West Florida

Since we know the Mountaineers are definitely going to chase some sort of quarterback in the portal, let's look at what likely will be a backup option who will be easier to land and brings a ton of upside.

Stokes was a former four-star prospect in the Class of 2023 and was a Florida commit who lost his opportunity with the program after getting caught rapping along with a racial slur in a video that went viral. He ended up at Division 2 West Florida, where he passed for over 3,200 yards and 30 touchdowns while adding 367 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He was described by Andrew Ivins of 247Sports as "not a true dual-threat" but still a "crafty runner" who found success on designed runs and thrived in an RPO-heavy offense in high school. The Mountaineers have been in contact with Stokes.

Geimere Latimer, CB, Wisconsin

Latimer already has strong ties to the program in Morgantown. His younger brother Amari just signed to the Mountaineers in the Class of 2026 to play running back, and he spent time himself playing for Rich Rodriguez and Zac Alley while they were all at Jacksonville State.

Latimer actually transferred after Rodriguez departed for WVU and was recruited by his former coach, but chose the Badgers instead. He was a starter at slot corner for Wisconsin and recorded 28 tackles and one forced fumble this season.

Jake Renfro, OL, Wisconsin

While dipping into Wisconsin to recruit Latimer, the Mountaineers should make a concerted effort for Jake Renfro. The Mountaineers can plug Donovan Haslam, Nick Krahe, and Landon Livingston back into starting roles if they continue to develop, and Kevin Brown is expected as a starter at right tackle as a freshman by many. But they need at least one starter on the interior offensive line out of the portal.

Renfro started all 12 games for the Badgers in 2024, and five in 2025 – but injury issues kept him from being healthy enough to serve as a consistent starter this past season. Now, he's in the portal with one season remaining to play, and is the second-best available interior offensive lineman that currently intends on entering the portal.

Tank Hawkins, WR, Florida

Hawkins is a West Virginia native, playing at Wheeling Park High School before finishing his prep career at IMG Academy in Florida. He was a four-star prospect out of hig school and had 10 receptions for 100 yards and one touchdown at Florida as a true freshman, but opted out of the season after three games this year to preserve his redshirt.

Now that Billy Napier is gone, Hawkins announced on Wednesday his plans to enter the portal. He is a certified speedster, boasting a blistering mark of 10.45 seconds in the 100-meter dash and capturing the West Virginia Class AAA State Championship in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash as a sophomore.

Kanye Thompson, S, Slippery Rock

WVU has already dipped into recruiting Slippery Rock, a Division 2 program just a couple hours north of Morgantown, by signing wideout Logan Ramper last offseason. Now, they're after a defensive player from the program in safety Kanye Thompson. Thompson was a first-team All-Region selection at the Division 2 level this season, tallying 60 tackles (5.5 TFLs), 10 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and three sacks. He also runs track and field at Slippery Rock, and boasts a jaw-dropping mark of 10.13 seconds in the 100-meter dash.