West Virginia is still carrying two open roster spots as fall camp rolls into its second week, and Rich Rodriguez isn’t ruling out adding help before the season arrives.
For now, though, the Mountaineers are staying put. Rodriguez said Monday that the team is not bringing anyone in “right now,” even if the staff has kept some conversations going behind the scenes.
“We have a couple of guys that we’ve talked to and communicated with," Rodriguez said on Monday. "If the five-year class action thing goes through, then we may have a couple added. But as far as guys out of the (transfer) portal or suing to get in the portal, whatever that is, we don’t have anybody right there just yet.”
The current feeling inside the program is that the roster is in solid shape as is, and there’s no real push to go outside the team for bodies. That means the most realistic path to those final two spots would come from players seeking a fifth year of eligibility.
That group includes tight end Jacob Barrick, defensive lineman Eddie Kelly Jr., cornerback Jason Chambers, cornerback Tyrence Crutcher, nickel/sam Fred Perry, and punter Oliver Straw.
Another name worth watching is cornerback Jordan Scruggs, who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in hopes of gaining an extra year. Scruggs has been in college since 2021, when he redshirted at Washburn, and has only played four seasons since then.
His path has gone from Washburn in 2021 to Central Missouri in 2022, Hutchinson CC in 2023, South Alabama in 2024 and West Virginia in 2025. He appeared in 12 games for the Mountaineers last season.
There’s also no update yet on freshman running back SirPaul Cheeks, who still has not enrolled or been added to the official roster. With fall camp already well underway, his chances of being part of the 2026 season seem slim.
If Cheeks does not arrive, West Virginia would have seven running backs on this year’s team: Andre Devine, Cam Cook, Amari Latimer, Chris Talley, Martavious Boswell, Darius Morant, and Lawrence Autry.
Even with those names in place, the picture isn’t fully settled. Whether the Mountaineers actually use those last two roster spots remains uncertain, and Rodriguez acknowledged as much. The staff, by its own admission, doesn’t know exactly how it will all play out.
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