WVU football adds several impactful defensive transfers to close first week of portal

WVU football's defense certainly looked better than it's offense last season, but there were plenty of times where the Mountaineers certainly struggled to get things done defensively as efficiently and effectively as they would have hoped. And with so many defensive pieces either having exhausted their eligibility or entering the transfer portal, WVU needs to be strategic about reloading.

Over the past 48 hours, the Mountaineers have put in the work on the recruiting trail, and snagged four transfer portal additions on the defensive side of the ball that are certain to make an impact. The first big addition came in the form of Illinois starting linebacker Malachi Hood,who we have already written about immediately after his commitment. The Mountaineers continued to pile on with four more impactful commitments, though, so let's take a look at each.

Kamari Wilson, Safety - Memphis

Wilsonwas a four-star prospect and a Top 100 player nationally in the Class of 2022, and in high school wasdescribed by Andrew Ivins at247Sportsas a potential "key contributor at a College Football Playoff contender" and a player with "NFL upside."

He began his career at Florida where he finished his true freshman season with 39 tackles, one forced fumble, and one pass defended. He redshirted the next season before spending one season in the Big 12 with Arizona State in 2024 before ending up at Memphis last season. In 2025, he tallied 84 tackles (6.5 TFLs), four passes defended, two interceptions,two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one sack. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Tyler Stolsky, Linebacker - Florida Atlantic

Stolsky is another veteran journeyman, who commited to the Mountaineers after a three-year career that saw him spend two seasons in the Big Ten with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and last season with Florida Atlantic.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder racked up 34 tackles in two seasons with Minnesota, but had a breakout effort this past year with the Owls. He finished his season at FAU with 86 tackles, two pass deflections, and one sack. Now, he will look to give it one more go at the Power 4 levelduring his final season of eligibility.

Andrew Powdrell, Defensive Back - UNLV

Powdrell joinsfellow UNLV teammate Isaiah Pattersonas new commits to the Mountaineers out of the transfer portal. Powdrellmade a massive impact at cornerback for the Rebels last season, tallying 63 tackles and five pass breakups on the season.

Before joining UNLV, Powdrell spent two seasons with FCS powerhouse Montana State, where he was an All-Big Sky selection.

David Afogho, EDGE - Bowling Green

Afogho is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound edge rusher whohas spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career with Bowling Green. He has tallied 38 tackles, four tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks during his career and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

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