Hits & Misses: Revisiting WVU's 2019 Transfer Portal Class

Evaluating how the Mountaineers fared in the portal in year one under Neal Brown.

Nov 20, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Jarret Doege / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

The transfer portal has become a big piece of roster construction over the last six years or so, dating back to the first season for Neal Brown as the head coach at West Virginia. Over the next few weeks, we'll take a look at each transfer portal class Brown and his staff have brought in and evaluate the hit rate of each group.

What makes a player a hit? Either performed at a high level, was a key part of the team's overall success, or met expectations of their specific role.

What makes a player a miss? Failed to live up to expectations or played a minimal role in the team's overall success.

QB Jarret Doege - Miss

Doege is a bit of a tweener for me. He wasn't great, but he wasn't dreadful either. He was just alright. But considering the turnover rate, the sacks he took, and less than impressive record as the team's starter, he's going down as a miss.

QB Austin Kendall - Miss

Kendall was brought in to be the guy for a couple of years, but just never felt like a fit in Brown's offense. Square peg in a round hole. He didn't really push the ball down the field all that well and was prone to turning the football over, eventually losing the starting job to the guy mentioned above.

WR George Campbell - Hit

The Mountaineers really struggled to throw the ball in 2019 due to a poor offensive line and below average QB play. However, Campbell still made a big impact despite the low volume of targets. He hauled in 19 receptions for 469 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 24.7 yards per catch with 36% of his receptions going for a score.

WR Sean Ryan - Hit

You may disagree with me on this one, but Ryan served as a quality depth piece at receiver. He was never really asked to be the No. 1 guy, but got the job done more often than not. Ryan pulled in 69 receptions for 882 yards and three touchdowns during his time in Morgantown before transferring to Rutgers for his final year. Ryan was by no means an all-league caliber player, but he met expectations.

DL Reuben Jones - Hit

Jones only spent one year in Morgantown, but he helped bridge the gap to the next wave of defensive ends. He recorded 34 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and two QB hits. I view his production in the same lens as Sean Ryan. Not a top-tier player, but did what was asked of him.

S Alonzo Addae - Hit

The runaway crown jewel of this portal class and it's not really a debate. In two years, Addae racked up 139 tackles, 10 passes defended, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one sack. He earned All Big 12 Honorable mention and was named a 2021 Canadian Cornish Trophy Finalist (Top Canadian Player in the NCAA).

P Josh Growden - Hit

Growden was used quite a bit during his one year at WVU, booting 68 punts for an average of 42.1 yards per punt. Seven of those punts went over 50 yards and 18 were downed inside the 20-yard line.

Overall Hit Rate: 5/7 (71%).

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