MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kaden Prather was thought to be a key piece of West Virginia’s offense moving forward.
Instead, a wideout that would’ve easily been the Mountaineers’ leading returning receiver is in the mix for a new home after announcing Monday his intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
In a social media message, Prather said: I would like to thank the great state of West Virginia and all Mountaineer fans over the years. You are the most loyal fans a player could ever hope for and I have enjoyed playing for you. I would like to thank coach Brown and the other coaches and strength staff for the great opportunity presented to me. I will remember all the friendships made. With that being said, I will be doing what’s best for me and entering the transfer portal. Please respect my decision.
The 6-foot-4, 211-pound Prather played two seasons at West Virginia and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
A native of Montgomery Village, Md., Prather finished the 2022 campaign with 52 catches for 501 yards and three touchdowns over 11 games. Prather missed the Mountaineers’ loss to Kansas State in the home finale after suffering an injury the previous week during a victory against Oklahoma.
Over a stretch of five straight games, spanning a Week 2 loss to Kansas up through a mid-October victory over Baylor, Prather had at least six receptions in each of the five contests. In total, he had 34 receptions for 348 yards and all three scoring grabs during that successful stretch.
“Kaden Prather is growing up,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said after Prather caught eight passes for a career-high 109 yards with a touchdown against the Bears. “He’s going to be as good as he wants to be. He’s growing up before our eyes, and his last few games, he’s playing some really good football.”
Yet save for a six-reception, 59-yard effort in the win over the Sooners, Prather’s production dramatically dropped over the second half of the regular season when he totaled 16 catches for 132 yards over five games.
As a true freshman in 2021, Prather had 12 receptions for 175 yards. The four-star recruit was a prized possession of West Virginia’s 2021 recruiting class.
With Prather seeking a new school, the Mountaineers will be without each of their top four wideouts from 2022.
Recently, Sam James and Bryce Ford-Wheaton announced they’d both declare for the NFL Draft in favor of returning for a sixth season of college football.
Reese Smith, who was fourth on the Mountaineers with 19 catches for 205 yards last season, has already entered the portal.
As it stands, Cortez Braham and Jeremiah Aaron, a pair of junior college additions before the 2022 season, are WVU’s leading returning receivers. That duo combined for 26 receptions for 271 yards and one TD in 2022.