The transfer portal opens up on Jan. 2, and this time around, there’s just one period instead of there being one in the winter and the spring. This time last year, West Virginia was making waves in the portal because Rich Rodriguez arrived late and couldn’t put together a major high school recruiting class. So, to be competitive, Rodriguez grabbed 70-plus players in the portal, hoping it’d all work.

Obviously, his plan didn’t work, and the Mountaineers finished 4-8, third-to-last in the Big 12. But, at least this year, Rodriguez had a year to build a recruiting class, and he signed the biggest class in the country. Now, Rodriguez won’t have to add so many transfers when the single period opens at the start of the new year.

That doesn’t mean Rodriguez won’t add any transfers. He still plans to add a few.

“To fill our roster, we went portal-heavy and brought some guys in” Rodriguez said about last year. “A lot more one-year guys that I’d ever want to have. Now, having been here for a year, you don’t have to do as many. You still can and we will, but not nearly to the extent we went last year, where you had so many guys that we had for a year, or less than a year.”

The new freshman class won’t fix all the holes that WVU has, and a majority of them might not even start. They have to get adjusted to the system and the higher level of competition.

Rodriguez needs to fill some holes in the transfer portal. Here are WVU’s biggest needs when the portal opens on Jan. 2.

Offensive line

There is no question that a lot of WVU’s offensive struggles were because of the offensive line. Whether it was in pass protection or run blocking, the offensive line was criticized by fans after every game. The criticism was deserved, especially with how much Rodriguez runs the ball.

There were only a couple of games where WVU could run the ball between the tackles: Pitt and Houston. Other than that, the only offensive success came when the running back bounced the ball outside or the quarterback rolled out.

Rodriguez realized the offensive line was an issue, too. After Fox took hit after hit, Rodriguez just took the O-line out of the question and had him throw the ball quickly, or roll out and throw on the run.

There are a lot of talented linemen coming in through the 2026 class, but a lot of them won’t start right away. The only one who could start is 4-star Kevin Brown, but even that’s a maybe because who knows how he adapts to the college level.

WVU needs to add some experience in the portal, especially with all the departures on the right side of the line. Kimo Makane’ole and Ty’Kieast Crawford are both redshirt seniors, so they’ll be gone in 2026.

Experienced RB/QB

WVU’s starting running back and quarterback could both be transferring out in this cycle. Running back Jahiem White has made his intentions clear that he’s leaving, and quarterback Nicco Marchiol was reported to be leaving, but there’s nothing official yet.

Diore Hubbard, who was WVU’s leading rusher in 2025 after White was hurt, and WVU backup quarterback Khalil Wilkins are also entering the portal.

WVU needs help at both the running back position and the quarterback spot. Running back a bit more because true freshman Scotty Fox showed he can win a game for the Mountaineers, whereas WVU’s best running backs now become Cyncir Bowers and converted pass rusher Curtis Jones Jr.

Running back is a crucial part of Rodriguez’s offense. Even with not the best blocking by the O-line, Rodriguez ran the ball 523 times, which was just seven shy of Utah for the most in the Big 12. He needs an experienced running back he can count on, and it’ll probably come from the portal. WVU has a couple coming in the class, but it won’t hurt to add one with size who can carry a big workload right away.

The quarterback isn’t as big of a necessity because Fox will be back, but Rodriguez mentioned how he plans on still adding an experienced passer in the portal. Rodriguez is also worried he’d have a repeat of 2025, and have four quarterbacks injured, so he wants to add some depth behind Fox.

“We will probably still look at one for the portal,” Rodriguez said. “Get an experienced guy because of what we went through this year.”

Secondary

The secondary was very hit and miss in 2025. There were some great players, like corner Michael Coats Jr., and defensive back Fred Perry. But there were a lot of lows and a lot of blown coverages over the course of the season.

Still, probably the most losses for the graduating class are in the secondary and defense in general. Darrian Lewis is a redshirt senior, Jason Chambers, Jordan Scruggs and Kekoura Tarnue are also seniors. Then, Coats and Perry are also on their way out.

Some younger players are coming up. Safety sophomore Israel Boyce played in almost every game this season, and freshman Julien Horton also saw some action. There are also some talented players in the 2026 class. 4-star safety Matt Sieg is coming in and 3-star cornerback Vincet Jackson is arriving at some point this semester or in the summer. Both should be great players for WVU in the coming year, but probably not next year.

The Mountaineers need to add some experience in the secondary to take some weight off the younger players. Maybe a safety and a corner to help out a secondary that had ts ups and downs in 2025.