Asti: Baylor Transfer WR Jaylen Ellis Brings Necessary Explosiveness to WVU Offense

West Virginia accomplished two things by acquiring transfer wide receiver Jaylen Ellis. WVU gained some necessary experience and more speed for the offense.

Ellis, listed at 6-foot-3 and 184 pounds, will come to Morgantown after having spent three years in Waco at Baylor. WVU head coach Neal Brown made it known he wanted to bring in another transfer receiver before Fall camp. And Ellis now fits everything he was looking for perfectly.

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He brings an explosiveness that the Mountaineers know is necessary to have through the air in a run-focused offense. While West Virginia will likely go as far as their ground game takes them, it’s important to still possess a threat of a passing game. It’s also essential to get as much as possible out of the pass plays since those attempts won’t be at a premium.

Ellis offers an ability to keep the opposing defense honest, and occasionally catch them napping with a big play. He should be able to get by most cornerback and safeties, creating the option of going to Ellis as the second or third read if a play breaks down. A receiver with an excess of speed will give extra time for a young quarterback.

His statistics may not jump off the page, recording only five receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown during his time at Baylor. But despite his minimal production in college, Ellis was a US Army All-American Bowl selection out of high school and had offers from several major programs once he publicized his intentions to transfer.

Ellis could represent the saying “one man’s trash could be another man’s treasure” with more of an opportunity to get targets with WVU. He’s not transferring from just anywhere either. His familiarity with the Big 12 is an added bonus and could lend itself to making Ellis a leader for the other receivers, or offense in general, especially for the key conference games on the schedule.

He ended up picking West Virginia over offers from Auburn, Utah and Texas A&M. Ellis becomes the third transfer receiver addition by WVU along with Devin Carter and Ja’Shaun Poke. West Virginia also still has offers out to other transfer receivers as well.

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WVU brought in Carter to be the number one option, Poke to help both in the passing game and as a returner option and are expecting other receivers on the roster to step up too. Both Carter and Poke are fast in their own right. However, a receiver like Ellis provides an extra layer of comfort for the offense.