Former No. 1 Player in West Virginia Enters Transfer Portal: Can WVU Get in the Mix?

Virginia's Isaac McKneely is looking for a new home.

Mar 8, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. (0) drives against Virginia Cavaliers guard Isaac McKneely (11) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

After three seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers, guard Isaac McKneely is entering the transfer portal, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

Coming out of Poca High School, McKneely was the consensus No. 1 player in the state of West Virginia. He held offers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Liberty, Louisville, Maryland, NC State, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Xavier, and several others. Former WVU head coach Bob Huggins and his staff pushed hard, but ultimately lost out to Tony Bennett and Co.

Bennett surprisingly retired just before the start of the 2023-24 season, which caused Ron Sanchez to fill in as the interim. The Cavaliers had a brutal year, going 15-17 overall and 8-12 in ACC play. Over the weekend, the officially hired VCU's Ryan Odom as their next head coach.

In 32 games this season, McKneely averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field and 41% from three-point range, which led the ACC.

West Virginia not only needs to land a head coach soon to prevent its current players from entering the transfer portal but also to be in a position to land quality talent in the portal. McKneely could finish out his collegiate career in his home state, but the Mountaineers won't have much of a chance to land him if this search drags out much longer.

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