West Virginia wrestling has made one of the biggest transfer acquisitions in the college wrestling world this offseason.
It was announced earlier this week that the Mountaineers have earned a commitment from a major talent in Oklahoma grappler Willie McDougald. McDougald has spent five seasons inside the program at Oklahoma and will come to Morgantown with just one season of collegiate eligibility remaining.
McDougald will join the WVU program already established as one of the top talents on the mat in the nation. He was ranked 25th nationally last season for the Sooners, and is a three-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time Big 12 placer. This past season, he earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship in the 149-pound weight class.
McDougald began his collegiate career at Oklahoma as the 17th-ranked Class of 2020 prospect nationally in his weight class and the fifth-best prospect in New York overall. He was a two-time New York state champion and a three-time All-America, and holds the record for the most career wins in his high school program's history.
McDougald joins a West Virginia program that has been fourishing under head coach Tim Flynn. This past season, the Mountaineers took sixth place at the Big 12 Championships and finished tied for 18th place at the NCAA Championships, with fifth-year grappler Peyton Hall taking third-place in the 165-pound weight class at the NCAA Championship meet. It's the first time the program has earned consecutive Top 25 finishes at the NCAA Championships since 2004-2005.