Keeping Tabs on Who WVU Football Added from Spring Transfer Portal

After significantly cutting down their roster following the Spring Showcase, the WVU football staff has been focusing on adding new transfer players at key positions. And while more could still be added, the Mountaineers have already bolstered their roster with a significant number of new additions.

Here’s a recap of who Rich Rodriguez has brought in from the spring portal window so far:

Cyncir Bowers, RB 

After proving himself at the junior college level, Bowers is looking to elevate his game as a Mountaineer. He already established himself as a versatile force and is coming off monster production at Iowa Central Community College.

Bowers ran for 1,008 yards with an 6.5 yards per carry average and scored 12 touchdowns. In the padding game, he made 24 receptions for 363 yards and added two more scores as a receiver.

The 5-foot-10, 184-pound Harrisburg, Pa. native even returned 13 kickoffs for a total of 344 yards, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown. He returned seven punts for 148 yards with a 21.1 yards per return average.

Ryan Ward, TE 

Ward commitment to transfer to WVU on May 7 after a strong official visit.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Ward is unproven at the college level, but was highly recruited out of high school. Ward has three years left of eligibility.

Ward was a three-star prospect out of Rutherford High School in Rutherford, N.J., ranking as the nation’s No. 9 tight end and the No. 12 player in New Jersey by ESPN.

He was an all-state, three-time all-conference and two-time all-county selection throughout his high school career.

Ward officially entered the transfer portal on April 25 and has three years remaining of eligibility, something that makes him an attractive option to Rich Rodriguez and his staff as a player they can develop.

Devin Grant, Edge

Grant (6-foot-3, 225-pounds) earned an offer from West Virginia on April 29 and picked the Mountaineers over offers from Charlotte, FAU, JMU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, New Mexico State and UConn.

The Texas native spent two seasons at Incarnate Word, recording 31 tackles, 11 for a loss and 8.5 sacks in 2024 and 13 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and a sack in 2023.

Grant started his career at Colorado in 2020, appearing in 15 games over three seasons with the Buffaloes. He registered 28 tackles and five tackles for a loss.

Ayden Bussell, OL

Bussell spent the last two seasons with Tennessee and then entered the transfer portal on April 19. He appeared in three games for the Volunteers during the 2024, logging 62 snaps, after taking a redshirt year.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Mount Juliet, Tenn. native was ranked as a top 100 offensive lineman in the 2023 class.

Ty Crutcher, DB

Crutcher (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) played for the University of West Florida in Division II last season. The Alabama native picked up 13 tackles with one interception and four pass breakups.

Prior to West Florida, Crutcher spent two seasons at the JUCO level with Dodge City Community College. He played receiver in junior college, catching 13 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in 2022. He appeared in two games, making two total tackles in 2023 before moving up to West Florida last season.

Logan Ramper, WR 

Ramper’s commitment comes after his official visit to WVU and despite Pitt trying to win him over as well. West Virginia offered Ramper on April 30 and then the Panthers made him an offer of their own on May 1, right before he made the trip to Morgantown.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Ramper’s size makes him someone who could translate to the Big 12 after experiencing success at the Division II level.

In 2024, Ramper caught 42 balls for 748 yards and scored eight touchdowns while posting an average of 17.8 yards per catch. The season prior, Ramper recorded 32 receptions for 417 yards with six scores.

Ramper combined for 74 receptions for 1,165 yards and 14 touchdowns throughout his career at Slipper Rock.

For some of Ramper’s breakpoint performances, he totaled 73 yards and two touchdowns in their Division II quarterfinal matchup against California (PA) and then followed that with a monster showing against Ferris State, bringing in eight for 171 yards and three touchdowns.

Donovan Haslam, OL

Haslam comes to WVU after working his way up to a starting role with Austin Peay last season. He appeared in 10 games as a true freshman and then took a redshirt in 2023, only playing in two games.

Pro Football Focus awarded Haslam a grade of 64.0 overall and 72.8 as a pass blocker.

The 6-foot-4, 332-pounder also had offers from Coastal Carolina, FIU, Fresno State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Nevada, North Texas, Southern Miss among others.

Kannon Katzer, RB

Katzer’s production also speaks to why Division I programs pursued him. He played in 15 games in 2024 as Ferris State’s top running back, rushing for 1,128 yards with 11 touchdowns.

Katzer averaged a staggering 8.8 yards per carry and saved his best performances for the biggest games, gashing Slippery Rock to the tune of 165 yards on only 13 carries and a score in the national semifinals.

He would also bring a winning pedigree with him, having just come off winning a Division II national championship.

Kaleb Gray, DB

The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound defensive back played in nine games in 2024 after redshirting in 2023. He registered 32 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, five passes defended and even three forced fumbles.

Gray totaled a season-high seven tackles on Oct. 5 against Hutchinson Community College. For a unique twist that shows his athletic ability, Gray actually punted a ball once last season, booting a ball for 62 yards.

Darrian Lewis, DB

A 5-foot-10, 190-pound corner, Lewis played in 12 games and started 11 for the Zips during the 2024 season.

He recorded 74 tackles, three tackles for a loss for six yards, picked off a pass and even had six pass breakups in 2024 after registering 75 total tackles (51 as solo) in nine starts in 2023.

John Lewis, LB 

After initially transferring from Mississippi State to UNLV earlier in the offseason, Lewis has now signed with West Virginia.

Lewis (6-foot-3, 240 pounds) played in 40 career games for the Bulldogs, registering 44 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and one pass breakup. He entered the transfer portal on April 21.

A product of Germantown High School in Canton, Miss., Lewis was highly recruited out of high school and was considered a four-star by 247 Sports and a three-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals.

Carson Lee, OL

Considered one of the top offensive line transfers, Lee had offers from numerous other Power Four programs. Lee’s commitment comes after his visit with the WVU staff.

Prior to his brief stint at Mississippi State, Lee played at Eastern Michigan, experiencing time at center, right guard and left guard for the Eagles. He started 10 games in 2024.

Lee initially started his college career at Colorado, but played in only five games over two seasons.

Jaylan Knighton, RB 

Knighton, listed at 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, now gives Rich Rodriguez an experienced running back to add to his room led by incumbent star Jahiem White. Kingston entered the transfer portal April 16.

He spent the past two seasons with the Mustangs, granted his time was hampered by injuries. When on the field, Kingston ran for 43 yards on 12 carries and had 4 catches for 42 yards in 2024.

In 2023, Knighton amassed 745 yards and scored seven touchdowns for an average of 5.5 per carry. He also caught 13 balls for 89 yards and a score.

Prior to joining SMU, Kingston was at Miami (FL) and appeared in 27 games while rushing for 1,193 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns.

Malik Agbo, OL

Texas transfer Malik Agbo has committed to the WVU football program, giving the Mountaineers another addition for the offensive line.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Agbo has 20 games under his belt on offense with the Longhorns. He entered the transfer portal April 18 and picked West Virginia over a number of other offers, including California.

Agbo has even spent time as a jumbo tight end in addition to serving as an offensive tackle and guard for Texas.

Justin Smith-Brown, WR 

Listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Justin Smith-Brown was offered by West Virginia shortly after entering the transfer portal on April 16. He then took an official visit to WVU a few days later before eventually committing.

In three seasons with South Carolina State, Smith-Brown caught 81 balls for 1,196 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He had a breakout year in 2024, making 54 receptions for 749 yards with four touchdowns.

Kade Hensley, Kicker 

Kade Hensley (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) comes to WVU after spending four years with Coastal Carolina. He took over the regular kicking duties at Coastal after redshirting his freshman year.

Hensley has connected on 34-of-43 field goals with his career longest of 49 yards occurring twice. Hensley was also a perfect 26-of-26 on extra points in 2024.

The Tennessee native entered the transfer portal April 17 and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Joshua Aisosa, OL

An offensive lineman with major conference experience is headed to West Virginia. Joshua Aisosa announced he’s transferring from Oklahoma to WVU.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, Aisosa is going from the SEC to the Big 12 after spending one season with the Sooners. Aisosa entered the transfer portal late in the spring window on April 18.

While Aisosa did not play in a game for Oklahoma in 2024, but was on track to get backup time in 2025 before deciding to transfer based on his work during the spring.

Aisosa was a highly decorated high school player and was named the 2023 Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year and 6A-1 District 2 Offensive Lineman of the Year during his senior season.

He ended up picking Oklahoma over offers from programs like Iowa State, Navy, Tulsa, North Texas and UNLV out of high school.

Aisosa has four years left of his eligibility.

Ben Bogle, LB 

Bogle, an FCS All-American, posted 87 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and two interceptions in 2024.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, the Florida native played two seasons at Southern Illinois after a redshirt year in 2022. He recorded 32 tackles and two sacks in 2023 before his production evaluated with more opportunities on defense last season.

Bogle led Florida in total tackles as a high school senior and was rated as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports.

Eddie Kelly Jr., Edge

A productive pass rusher out of the SEC is going to be a Mountaineer. Missouri transfer edge Eddie Kelly announced his commitment to the WVU football program on Easter Sunday.

”Truly blessed and honored to announce that I am committed to West Virginia University,” said Kelly.

Kelly’s commitment comes only four days after WVU extended him an offer and on the heels of his official visit over the weekend. He also had Power Four offers from Kansas and Virginia Tech.

The 6-foot4, 278-pound Kelly recorded 20 tackles, two pass deflections and one sack in 13 games for the Tigers in 2024.

Before Missouri, Kelly also experienced a season in the ACC with Georgia Tech and even started his college career at South Florida. At Georgia Tech, he posted 37 tackles, two pass deflections and 0.5 sacks. He had 19 tackles as a true freshman for USF.

Christian Hamilton, WR

The WVU football staff was able to secure North Carolina transfer wide receiver Christian Hamilton after his official visit.

Hamilton (6-foot, 190 pounds) made seven receptions for 159 yards and scored a touchdown as a freshman for the Tar Heels in 2024 after having just a few catches for 20 yards in limited action the year before.

Courtesy of North Carolina Athletics

Hamilton shared a few words about what he would bring to a program when he hit the transfer portal earlier in the week. “Hard worker, great teammate/brother that would be blessed to have another opportunity,” posted Hamilton on social media. 

A four-star recruit out of high school, Hamilton still has plenty of runway to find success in major college football.

Grayson Barnes, TE

WVU bolstered its tight ends room with Northern Illinois transfer Grayson Barnes.

Grayson Barnes (6-5, 225) is a converted wide receiver who caught 31 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns this past season. As a receiver in 2023, Barnes caught 23 passes for 422 yards and five scores.

Barnes helped the Huskies to an 8-5 record last season. He caught six passes for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns in NIU’s Potato Bowl win over Fresno State.

The California native spent the prior two years at American River College, earning All-American honors in 2022.

Nick Taylor, DB

Appalachian State transfer cornerback Nick Taylor is following Rod West to West Virginia, announcing his commitment to WVU only a few days after entering the transfer portal.

Taylor (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) still has three years left of eligibility. He played in seven games during his freshman season in 2024 and was coached by West, who was App. State cornerbacks coach before being hired by WVU this offseason.

Taylor recorded 10 total tackles and one pass deflection.

A two-time All-Region player as a high senior in Georgia, registered 51 tackles for a team that went 12-1 his final high school season. Taylor was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports.

Mickel Clay, OL

In an effort to strengthen their offensive line depth, the WVU football program has gained a commitment from North Alabama transfer Mickel Clay.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 278-pounds, Clay comes to West Virginia after spending three seasons at North Alabama, highlighted by starting 12 games and playing a total of 792 snaps last year.

Clay will now finish off his college football eligibility by jumping up to the Power Four level with the Mountaineers.

A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Clay was a first-team All-Conference player in high school and also ran on the track team.

Find more coverage of WVU football recruiting and at WV Sports Now.

A refresher of WVU’s winter portal work can be also be found at WVSN.