West Virginia Still in Great Portal Position After Grill, Hugley Off Board

Within an hour on Thursday afternoon, West Virginia was hit with the news from the transfer portal that Iowa State transfer Caleb Grill will commit to Missouri. WVU’s basketball program also mutually agreed to cancel a visit for Pitt transfer John Hugley, a source told WV Sports Now.

West Virginia is still in a great position during the transfer portal recruitment season. WVU has recorded the top portal class, according to the recruiting sites that calculate the additions. West Virginia has been placed at No. 1 or No. 2 in the country, depending on which site you look at. West Virginia’s staff has been able to receive commitments from Jesse Edwards (C – Syracuse), Kerr Kriisa (G – Arizona), Jose Perez (G – Manhattan) and Omar Silverio (G – Manhattan).

WVU’s director of recruiting Jay Kuntz has taken control of the program’s transfer recruitment. Kuntz has made contact with the numerous players in the portal and has used the players in the program as a resource to recruit.

Edwards and Kriisa are regarded as the top transfers from this offseason’s portal group. Perez was named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, while Silverio got into a rhythm while at Hofstra two seasons ago. WVU’s class up to this point is impressive, to say the least.

Now with Grill and Hugley off the board, what’s next for West Virginia?

Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson has been linked to WVU this week but there has not been an official visit scheduled as of Thursday. Anderson averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 22 games for the Cowboys this past season. Anderson has performed well against WVU throughout the years, scoring 31 points at the coliseum in 2021.

Other than Anderson, there has not been much momentum going for other players this week.

The transfer portal moves in waves throughout the spring. Before the portal closes on May 11, there should be another wave or two of portal entries, including elite players. Texas Tech forward Jaylon Tyson just entered his name and he has the talent to make the All-Big 12 team next year. It just depends on kids’ situations around the country. West Virginia is in a fine position, they have four commits so it’s not like they have to play desperate right now. Just move with the flow of the portal and continue to fill the voids and the Mountaineers will have a very successful offseason.

Looking around the conference, there are teams just struggling to retain players, such as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. It could be much worse.

Most recent notable portal entries are Jaylon Tyson (F – Texas Tech), RaeQuan Battle (G – Montana State), Tre White (G – USC), Matthew Cleveland (F – Florida State), Daeshun Ruffin (G – Ole Miss) and more.

Take a look at WVSN‘s transfer portal guide for West Virginia basketball’s recruiting this offseason. It has been updated with the available players.

West Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Guide For 2023 Offseason