We've likely all been victims of the old bait-and-switch tactic before, at least once.
It's almost inevitable – whether it's buying a used car, renting an apartment, or making an online purchase, we've all had that moment where we invested time and/or money into something and not received what was advertised. Maybe it was an invitation to an event that turned out to be wildly different from what was advertised, or you ordered a meal that is far from what you thought you'd be receiving. Maybe it's even simpler than that – I mean, raise your hand if you've been Rickrolled.
Okay, now put your hands down. Then raise them again if you've heard this December from a starting WVU football player on their social media accounts that they would be staying in Morgantown, only to have the rug pulled from under you like that time you had one drink too many and your brother/cousin/in-law convinced you to invest in Hawk Tuah Coin. I know most West Virginia fans have their hands back in the air at this point, because it's happened twice this month.
First, it was multiple Instagram stories from preseason All-American running back Jahiem White that hinted he would return to the Mountaineers after his season came to an end in Week 2 with a knee injury. Just days after those posts were made, it was announced he'd be entering his name into the transfer portal. Now, just days ago, starting wide receiver Cam Vaughn addressed a fan asking him to return to the program – he responded that he planned on returning, and that he was a "Mountaineer for life." Now, less than a week later, reports indicate he also plans to hit the portal.
So, what do these "bait-and-switch" scenarios teach us about college football players in the transfer portal era?
NOTHING IS FOR CERTAIN
It's the obvious observation. One could say I'm picking at the low-hanging fruit here. But the fact of the matter is, you should probably not take a player's word that he'll be returning as a guarantee they'll be back until the transfer portal is closed.
Yes, we're guilty of it here as well. We reported on both players' social media statements hinting at a return. And don't necessarily expect that to change in the future – such developments are news-worthy, particularly when a player follows through. Which isn't necessarily unusual.
It's also important to keep in mind that no official statements were released by either player in question declaring their return, although both heavily indicated with their social media posts that such plans were in motion. But unless you see an official statement posted by a player declaring a return, it's best not to believe any player will be returning to their program with certainty. And even then, if the portal is still open (or yet to open), things can change. So until January 16th, 2026, no return is safe, no matter what your favorite players posts on their Instagram story.
And that also brings us to one final point here: and that's what we didn't learn from these two controversial departures. And I refer to them as controversial because many fans are up in arms about these players hinting at returns before going ghost quicker than Danny Phantom, mostly because they have automatically decided Vaughn and White are snakes in the grass who only care about the almighty dollar and led WVU fans on while already knowing their departures were imminent. But that's very rarely how any of this works, and it's 100% something we can't say we've learned from this debacle.
A lot of players entering the portal are doing so not because they were tampered with by other programs or are of such immense value that they know for certain a massive payday is in line if they depart. That does happen, but just as often – and it will become increasingly more common with the roster limits dropped to 105 with the House settlement this past year – players hit the portal because their current program is preparing to bring in a freshman class and portal haul of their own and need to clear space, and their services were no longer needed. WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez even alluded to this during his final press conferences near the end of the season. In one of those pressers, he even said some players still needed to demonstrate they were correct fits for his program – whether they'd be back was up to the effort they'd show.
“There are a handful of guys that are frankly going to be called to task a little bit and say you need to show us in the next month or two months that you’re right for our program, or you’re going to have to find a spot," Rodriguez said. "If everybody’s not disciplined and focused and doing the right things the right way and all that, then I ain’t going to mess with them. They’ll have to go somewhere else.
Of course, money can play a role, particularly with players like White who likely had a large NIL deal that the program wanted to re-negotiate after White had to undergo knee surgery twice in one calendar year. So it's very possible that both White and Vaughn intended to return to Morgantown, but with plans to bring in double-digit transfers and a 49-player high school/JUCO signing class entering in 2026, they were told their services were no longer needed. Or maybe one or both hadn't demonstrated the proper commitment to the program's culture. Or they unexpectedly saw their NIL deals renegotiated to a lower level (or asked for more money than they were earning last season and were denied), and they felt there was better earning potential elsewhere.
Now, maybe they should have taken their time to see how the month played out before hinting at returns, but it's possible both players fully wanted to come back. So before casting aspersions on college-aged athletes and assuming their ethics and morals aren't in the right place, take a minute to explore all the possibilities and understand that they possibly intended to be in the old-gold-and-blue in 2026.
Yes, maybe that "bait-and-switch" was unintentional – that link was sent to you with the full belief it was a viral TikTok, and not that Rick Astley song. And with that, we wish Vaughn, White, and all other outgoing transfers the best of luck as we prepare to see the portal open this weekend and welcome some new players into the program.