West Virginia defensive lineman Jalen Thornton (52) and Akheem Mesidor (90) during the first half of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl NCAA college football game against Minnesota Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Mesidor Enters Transfer Portal

By JARED SERRE

For The Intelligencer

There will be a gaping hole on the Mountaineers’ defensive line this fall.

Akheem Mesidor, an anchor at defensive line during the past two seasons, has entered the transfer portal, head coach Neal Brown announced yesterday.

“Candidly, [I] was surprised. I would even say very surprised,” Brown said. “Every college program in the country is dealing with some kind of loss due to the portal. We’ve had our share […] In some of our cases, it was the best interest of both parties. In some of our cases, I preferred for them to stay but, really, understood the reasoning. Most of the time, you really sensed them coming, but not this one.”

Mesidor played in 22 games across his two seasons in Morgantown, tallying 7.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and 70 total tackles in that time. For his efforts this past season, Mesidor earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors from analyst Phil Steele, as well as All-Big 12 honorable mention from league coaches.

He is the 10th Mountaineer, as well as the fifth defensive starter, to enter the transfer portal this calendar year.

“Not upset, not angry, but I sit here more resolute, more confident and more committed in my beliefs on how to run a program than I’ve ever been,” Brown said. “Here’s what I believe: I believe in pouring into the student-athletes. I believe in going all in. I believe in building an infrastructure and surrounding them with support staff that pours into them, serves, develops them, creates a culture of accountability.

“Here’s the thing: there’s going to be some days that are tough like the last day and a half where you lose some guys that you’re really, really invested in. But I believe if you do it that way, there’s gonna be a lot more success stories than there are ones that go away, and I believe that with every ounce of my being.”

Plitzuweit named new women’s basketball coach

A former Division II National Champion head coach will take the helm of the WVU women’s basketball program.

Athletic director Shane Lyons announced the hiring of Dawn Plitzuweit yesterday afternoon, replacing veteran head coach Mike Carey who announced his retirement in early March after 21 seasons with WVU.

In six seasons at South Dakota, Plitzuweit amassed a record of 158-36. She’s led the team to three three regular-season championships and three conference-championships, and has won 20 or more games in five of her six seasons at the school.

“Dawn is a proven winner everywhere she has been, and her track record for sustained success is impressive,” Lyons said in a statement. “When we started our search, it was quite obvious that her reputation as a program builder and championship coach put her at the top of our list. Watching her lead her team to the Sweet 16 this year with wins over Ole Miss and Baylor brought her program a lot of new national attention, but those in the know about women’s basketball were not surprised by her success.”

Last season, the Coyotes defeated Baylor in order to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to coaching South Dakota, Plitzuweit spent five years as an assistant at Michigan before spending four years as the head coach at Northern Kentucky. She previously served as head coach at Grand Valley State from 2002-07, winning the national championship in 2006.

Mountaineers add transfer defender

Days after visiting campus, Jasir Cox is set to join the WVU football team.

“Watching my dreams unfold … blessed to call WVU home,” Cox tweeted Monday, announcing his commitment to the Mountaineers.

Cox comes to Morgantown following four seasons at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, where he started at linebacker each of the last two seasons.

Last season, Cox finished as the team’s third-leading tackler, finishing with 58 in total. He also intercepted three passes and forced a fumble en route to being named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team.

Cox told Bison Media Zone on March 1 that he wanted to step out of the role of linebacker, instead playing a safety/hybrid position. With holes throughout West Virginia’s secondary, it seems likely he will initially slot in at the Spear position, which calls for a versatile playmaker.

His addition has yet to be formally announced by the football program.