With the recent coaching change at WVU, a lot of players are going to enter the transfer portal; these are five players that WVU needs to retain.
Hudson Clement, WR
Sophomore wide receiver Hudson Clement was one of the key pieces to the Mountaineers’ offensive success over the last two years. Posting 741 receiving yards with five touchdowns over 51 catches. News broke that Clement would enter his name into the transfer portal on Friday. It will be crucial that head coach Rich Rodriguez and staff do anything they can to retain Clement.
Rodney Gallagher, WR
Another sophomore wide receiver, Rodney Gallagher, is a player whom the Mountaineers have been waiting to break out. Over his first two seasons with the team, Gallagher has posted 362 yards and three touchdowns, including his 15-yard game-winning touchdown this year to defeat Kansas. Coming out of high school, Gallagher was a four-star prospect, and all of WVU’s staff has raved about his skill set. It would be a big loss for WVU to lose a player as versatile as Gallagher to the portal.
Jaheim White, RB
Jaheim White has been a massive contributor to the dominant WVU running game over the past two seasons. Over his first two seasons, White has recorded 1686 yards with 24 touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per attempt. White recently took to Twitter to post his season and career stats, which left fans speculating whether or not he would be the next one to enter his name into the transfer portal. With the recent loss of CJ Donaldson to the portal, WVU’s staff will have to make sure they do everything that they can to ensure that Jaheim White will be back in Morgantown next season in 2025.
Nicco Marchiol, QB
Redshirt Junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol has been a great backup over the last two seasons for WVU, stepping in for Garrett Greene in each of the last two years. Marchiol is 3-0 as a starter at WVU with 742 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions and was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. It would be a tough pill to swallow for WVU if they lost Marchiol and, at the very least, didn’t see him compete for the job with another transfer quarterback.
Kyle Altuner, OL
Kyle Altuner is a four-star freshman offensive lineman. Although Altuner didn’t see the field in 2024, it will be massive for WVU to keep him around. Coming out of high school, he was ranked as the No. 9 player in the state of Maryland and No. 14 for all interior offensive linemen in his class. Altuner is a major offensive lineman recruit for WVU, and with the whole 2024 offensive line either transferring or graduating, it would really sting for the program if he decides to enter the transfer portal
