West Virginia may be closing in on another addition for its 2026 football roster, with former Georgia defensive back JaCorey Thomas expected to commit to the Mountaineers, according to multiple reports.
Thomas recently joined several other players in receiving a temporary restraining order against the NCAA from a judge in Dallas, which gives him a fifth year of eligibility. That opens the door for a move to Morgantown after he spent rookie minicamp with the Carolina Panthers but never signed a pro contract with them or any other NFL team.
His path looks similar to that of WVU cornerback Jason Chambers, who is waiting on his hearing set for September 24th. Chambers also went through rookie minicamp with the New York Jets.
Thomas spent his first three seasons mostly in a reserve role at Georgia, while also contributing on special teams. In 2025, he stepped into the starting free safety job and put together a solid year, finishing with 45 tackles, including 26 solo stops, one tackle for loss and a sack. He also missed only four tackles, which worked out to a 7.8% missed tackle rate.
Rich Rodriguez hinted last week that another addition could still be coming. He said, "We still have a spot or two.
We had a school tryout, and we still have a spot, maybe to bring a guy in of the guys that have tried out. We may do that.
We’re kind of waiting to get through this week before we determine that part of it. We’re always on the look for players.
Now, we’re not looking at NFL rosters right now or any guys that just got cut.”
If Thomas does land at WVU, he would join a safety battle that already includes UNLV transfer Andrew Powdrell and true freshman Matt Sieg. He could fit in there at free safety or give the Mountaineers another option in the box, helped by his 6-foot, 205-pound frame.
Thomas was a four-star recruit out of Boone High School in Orlando, Florida, according to 247 Sports, and picked Georgia over a long list of offers that included Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon State, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, South Florida, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCF, West Virginia under the Neal Brown staff, and others.
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