Another Piece Secured: Rodney Gallagher III Announces He's Staying with WVU

Some more good news for the West Virginia offense.

West Virginia University receiver Rodney Gallagher / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia was able to secure two of its most important pieces on the offensive side of the football on Friday morning as running back Jahiem White and wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III announced that they will remain with the program and not enter the transfer portal.

Gallagher was considered one of WVU's highest-rated recruits in the 2023 signing class. He picked West Virginia over a bevy of offers, such as Arizona State, Iowa State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, NC State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Texas, Virginia Tech, and many others.

Toward the end of his freshman season in 2023, Gallagher became more involved in the offense, being featured a lot in the underneath passing game and getting some carries as well. Former head coach Neal Brown just wanted to find ways to get him the ball while he was still developing as a receiver. He finished 2023 with 10 catches for 74 yards to go along with 87 yards on 15 carries. 

This season, he became more of a target in the passing game, expanding his production to 26 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Running the ball wasn’t as successful for him as he only totaled 51 yards on 16 carries. Much of that can be attributed to the predictability of his carries and the situations those plays were called.

There’s no question that with his versatility, he’ll be a perfect match for Rich Rodriguez’s offense.

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