Garnett Hollis Credits Beanie Bishop for Influencing His Decision to Transfer to WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Beanie Bishop left such a lasting impact in his lone season as a Mountaineer that he’s already influencing his replacement. In fact, WVU defensive back Garnett Hollis admitted seeing Bishop succeed at WVU after transferring from the Big Ten played a role in his decision to make the same move.

“With Beanie’s success, they made me feel like I could have that same success,” said Hollis when asked about following a similar path to Bishop. Hollis revealed that he did ask Bishop for advice before officially deciding to become a Mountaineer.

WVU DB Garnett Hollis says he talked to Beanie Bishop before transferring. Beanie told him how well he was coached at WVU and how much he loved his time as a Mountaineer.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) August 16, 2024

To no surprise, Bishop spoke glowingly of the WVU coaching staff, how they helped develop his game and said he loved his entire experience in West Virginia.

In addition to Bishop, Hollis pointed to WVU’s success on the field in 2023, most of the core returning and the passion of the fans as reasons why he picked West Virginia over his other offers as a grad transfer.

“Coming to West Virginia, they have the fan base, they have the winning record, they have the culture. They showed the initiative that I was looking for. It felt right.

But just because Bishop used WVU to achieve his goals, that doesn’t mean every Big Ten transfer corner is guaranteed greatness as well. So based on who Hollis has been and what WVU needs him to be, is it reasonable to have such high expectations for him with West Virginia?

Asti: WVU Defense Relying on Garnett Hollis to be Next Beanie Bishop

Success in the Big Ten does not necessarily mean success in the Big 12. The style of play is just different, making what players experience from opponents completely different as well. And something that can’t be ignored, being a top player on Northwestern, a program mostly out of the spotlight, is different than stepping up like Bishop did as a Mountaineer. The history and pressure that comes with playing at WVU and representing West Virginia is going to be another level from what Hollis and Joseph dealt with as Wildcats.

After making four starts and appearing in eight games as a junior in 2022, Hollis played in all 13 games for the Wildcats in 2023 and recorded an interception and three pass deflections. He also made 49 total tackles, including 3.5 for a loss.

With all of that said, Hollis does have the makeup of a Bishop-like player.

It’s obviously unreasonable to expect every transfer defensive back, even the ones coming from another major conference, to mirror the success of Bishop. But the fact Bishop was able to reach a new level as a Mountaineer is a nice feather in the cap for the coaches and shows what can be possible. West Virginia now hopes history repeats itself with the latest additions, most likely Hollis.

For a related story, Beanie Bishop discusses the source of his motivation to be great with Steelers.