West Virginia Fails to Land Safety Robert Rahimi as He Picks SMU

For the second time in as many weeks, the West Virginia football program falls just shy of landing a transfer player that had WVU in his top three.

First, it was Amari Gainer, who ended up picking North Carolina. This time around, it’s safety Robert “Rocket” Rahimi deciding to transfer to SMU over WVU or Kansas State. Rahimi tweeted his final decision Tuesday afternoon after revealing he would make his choice public in the next day or so on Sunday night.

SMU‼️ IM COMING🔒🙏 @coachsymons @CoachHun_SMU @AhmadWalker7 @CMegg10 pic.twitter.com/ISDMXnn9EQ

— Rocket Rahimi (@RocketRahimi) January 10, 2023

While not as high profile as Gainer, Rahimi could have been a nice addition to a WVU secondary that is lacking experience and depth. In addition to his top three, Rahimi also received offers from major programs like Rutgers, Kansas and Arizona State. WVU extended an offer to Rahimi about a week ago.

The Liberty transfer just completed his second season with the Flames, recording 56 total tackles with 24 solo and 32 assists during the 2022 season. He made 78 overall tackles in two seasons at Liberty. Rahimi will be a grad transfer at his next school.

After a mass exodus of players, ignited by cornerback Charles Woods, WVU has been putting energy into looking to the Transfer Portal to try to acquire some experience for 2023, especially on defense and in the secondary.