Two former 4-star defensive prospects from Big Ten, SEC schools transfer to WVU

The West Virginia Mountaineers got back to work on finishing their transfer portal class Friday after much of the week was consumed by recruiting dead period, and after starting the day by adding a promising young MAC starter at cornerback, the Mountaineers significantly shored up weak spots in their defense with a pair of former four-star recruits in the high school Class of 2025 that spent last season at top Power 4 programs.

The first signing came as the Mountaineers landed LSU safety Jacob Bradford, and then continued with another commitment from Oregon EDGE Tobi Haastrup. Both were among the Top 25 players at their position nationally in their high school class.

WVU football lands transfer from Oregon's Tobi Haastrup and LSU's Jacob Bradford

Bradford was a 175th-best player nationally at the high school ranks in the Class of 2025 and the 16th-best safety, according to 247Sports. He played in one game on defense and four games on special teams for the Tigers in 2025, preserving his redshirt year. He will have four years of eligibility remaining in Morgantown.

According Andrew Ivins, who serves as the Director of High Schol Scouting with 247Sports, Bradford projected out of high school as a 'slot corner or box safety' at the collegiate level with the ability to hang in both the run game and pass game.

"Solid open-field tackler with the grip strength to get ball carriers on the ground," Ivins wrote. "Displays the ability to read and trigger, flowing downhill with burst. Slick mover in reverse who can match and mirror."

"Might not be the tallest or longest individual, but a lot to like when you take into the account the testing profile. Overall, view as a versatile secondary piece with excellent testing markers who can do a little bit of everything. Has what it takes to get on the field early as a sub-package defender while also emerging as a special teams ace."

Haastrup, meanwhile, was the 24th-best player at his position and the 223rd-best player nationallt according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Originally from London, England, Haastrup moved to America and began playing football as a high school senior, picking up 48 tackles (20 TFLs) and nine sacks in ten games. He's also a freak athlete, measuring 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds with personal bests of 10.93 in the 100-meter dash and 52 feet on shot put during his high school track days. Haastrup redshirted his freshman season with the Oregon Ducks and has four years of eligibility remaining.