Josiah Trotter to Leave West Virginia, Commits to SEC School

A massive loss for the West Virginia defense.

West Virginia University linebacker Josiah Trotter / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Monday evening, the West Virginia football team suffered a big hit in the transfer portal as redshirt freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter committed to Missouri, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Trotter also visited Washington and heavily considered a return to West Virginia before making his pledge to the Tigers.

Trotter was named the Big 12 Conference's Defensive Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in WVU history to win the award. In twelve games this season, Trotter recorded 92 tackles, four tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and an interception.

Coming out of high school, Trotter held offers from numerous big-time programs such as Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and several others.

When asked why he chose WVU, Trotter stated, "You want to go where you’re needed, not just where you’re liked or even wanted too. I knew that they didn’t just want/like me, they needed and wanted me, and that was something that just really set them apart from everybody else.”

He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

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