MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Former Michigan offensive lineman Kyle Bosch, a 2013 four-star recruit who experienced a bumpy two seasons under Brady Hoke, has transferred to West Virginia.
Bosch enrolled for spring semester classes, the program announced Thursday afternoon.
After making three starts at guard as a true freshman in 2013, Bosch was benched for the bowl game, telling reporters it was performance-based. The 6-foot-5, 303-pounder then fell out of the playing rotation early last season and took a leave of absence in September, said Hoke, who was fired in December.
Last week Bosch and his father met with new coach Jim Harbaugh, hoping to mend the situation. But the talks ultimately led to the sophomore opting to transfer, according to a Sporting News report.
“I was at school all day, getting ready,” Bosch told Sporting News. “Then I met with Coach Harbaugh and I didn’t expect the transfer. That was not my original intent when I went up there yesterday. … This was very untimely. If it was my intention to transfer, I would have done that a long time ago.”
Coming out of St. Francis in Wheaton, Ill., Bosch chose the Wolverines over Notre Dame, Alabama, Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska. He fielded more than 20 FBS offers in all, including one from West Virginia. He was the No. 104-rated national prospect in the Rivals class of 2013 and the No. 7 offensive tackle. He checked in at No. 157 nationally on the ESPN recruiting list.
Under typical NCAA transfer rules, Bosch would sit out next season and have two years of eligibility beginning in 2016. However, he said he hopes to regain a third year of eligibility—after appearing for only a few snaps of the 2014 opener—and potentially become eligible to play next season.
West Virginia picked up another midyear Michigan transfer last month, sophomore middle linebacker Michael Ferns, who also was a four-star recruit.