May 5—MORGANTOWN — Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia have gone three-straight weekends with multiple transfer portal additions. Rodriguez was super active in the winter, which is understandable because of a coaching change, and is almost as active this spring.
The Mountaineers picked up commitments from Austin Peay lineman Donovan Haslam, Tennessee lineman Ayden Bussell, Slippery Rock receiver Logan Ramper, West Florida corner Ty Crutcher and JUCO defensive lineman Elijah Simmons.
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Additions to the roster are always welcomed, but now, Rodriguez is far above the roster limit of 105 players with 39 additions set to come this summer through transfers and recruits. West Virginia now is projected to have a roster of 114 players with potentially more transfers to come. Rodriguez has a week before the August 30 meeting with Robert Morris to finalize the roster that’ll need to be slimmed down through cuts. There’s no portal period between now and the start of the season, so the cut players won’t be playing football this fall.
The biggest addition of the weekend was another SEC lineman Bussell. He didn’t see too much action with the Volunteers, only playing three games last year, but was a three-star prospect out of high school and the 19th-best player in Tennessee for the class. He was a three-star transfer prospect.
Joining Bussell, Austin Peay lineman Donovan Haslam announced his commitment Saturday night. Haslam isn’t on the same scale as a Power Four player, but he brings a lot more experience to the Moutaineers, playing over 600 snaps already.
The two linemen additions this weekend total six linemen commitments this cycle.
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Another position that’s gained a lot of depth from the portal is the wide receiver room. Slippery Rock receiver Logan Ramper could be the physical receiver Rodriguez has been searching for. Ramper stands at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds.
Ramper was productive in three years with Slippery Rock and appeared in 28 games. His final year, Ramper had 42 grabs, 748 yards and eight touchdowns. Ramper has one more year of eligibility left.
West Virginia also added another defensive back in converted wide receiver Ty Crutcher from West Florida. In 10 games, Crutcher recorded 13 tackles, recovered two fumbles and broke up four passes.
Rodriguez did mention how two-way players might be more common with the roster size shrinking to 105. Although unlikely, that versatility might be a reason for this addition.
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Rounding out the weekend was another JUCO player. West Virginia beefed up the trenches more but on the defensive side of the ball with Elijah Simmons. In 2024, Simmons had 21 tackles, a sack, forced a fumble and 5.5 tackles for loss.
He had offers from a couple Group of 5 schools.
Rodriguez’s additions put the Mountaineers one shy of Purdue for the most transfer portal commits over the winter and spring. West Virginia has 49 commits total.
