MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A year after bolstering its defensive line with graduate transfers, West Virginia is doing it again.
Reuben Jones, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end, is transferring to WVU after completing his degree at Michigan. Jones has one year of eligibility remaining.
He was a reserve in his time at Michigan, playing in 16 games over three seasons. He had seven career tackles with the Wolverines. Jones, a native of Lakeland, Fla., actually chose Michigan over West Virginia as a three-star high school recruit.
While it’s a new coaching staff, the Mountaineers are surely hoping Jones can provide the same impact along the line that Kenny Bigelow and Jabril Robinson did last season. Bigelow came to West Virginia after an injury-plagued career at USC, while Robinson was buried on the nation’s deepest defensive line at Clemson.
Jones’ arrival brings a bit of fuzzy math to West Virginia’s 2019 signing class. Wide receiver George Campbell was in line to be the 25th and final member of this year’s class when he announced his intention to transfer to WVU from Florida State earlier this week.
Jones announced his commitment to the Mountaineers on Friday, which is also when the school released its list of June enrollees. Four expected members of the new class were missing from the list – safety Osita Smith, wide receiver Terence Doston, safety Rashean Lynn and offensive lineman Brandon Yates.
If all four arrive by the start of the second summer session on June 24 or the start of the fall semester, then one of WVU’s grad transfers would have to play as a walk-on – an unlikely scenario for someone already on scholarship at another school.