Program field guide · 2026

Big 12 · West Virginia

West Virginia

Mountaineers

West Virginia’s West Virginia-developed core fell from 28 to 12 players.

2026 roster · Roster geography

In 2016, 28 of 132 roster spots were filled by West Virginia players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 12 of 118 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 4 to 43.

In 2016 the median player grew up 187 mi from campus. Now it is 484 mi.

None of the 43 players who came from another college grew up in West Virginia.

The record reaches back to 2000, when 0% of the roster came from West Virginia. Today it is 10%.

Then → now

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2522.8%17.3%6.5%17.7%
  • Local-developed core
  • Transfer stock
Measure2016–182021–25
Local-developed core22.8%17.3%
Transfer stock6.5%17.7%

The roster, at a glance

  • 609 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 109 located players.
  • 10.2%In-state10.2% of the roster is from West Virginia.
  • 7.3%Backyard7.3% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 36.4%Detected transfers36.4% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.

Across the FBS

Where West Virginia ranks

Most In-State#12910.2%Most Transfers#1836.4%Closest to Home#99609 miFarthest From Home#40609 miBiggest Localism Shift#5710.2%Most Backyard Players#1267.3%Fewest Transfers#12136.4%Biggest Transfer Shift#2536.4%

Homecoming Radius over time

The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.

0100200300400500FBS median (250 mi)200020052010201620212026

Roster composition over time

Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

Local-developedOutsider developedOutsider transfer200420082013201720222026

Where do West Virginia's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateTransfer signalRadius
202611810.2%36.4%484 mi
202512518.5%38.4%345 mi
202412822.2%12.5%227 mi
202311717.5%17.1%256 mi
202211218.7%10.7%245 mi
202110020.8%10.0%255 mi
202011824.1%11.9%219 mi
201912024.4%12.5%219 mi
201811422.3%10.5%219 mi
201711525.2%6.1%218 mi
201613221.2%3.0%187 mi
201513219.8%1.5%234 mi
201413218.3%1.5%234 mi
201312016.8%2.5%234 mi
201210815.9%0.0%241 mi
201110821.3%0.9%165 mi
201010322.3%0.0%175 mi
200911122.5%0.0%175 mi
2008‡3015.0%0.0%—
2007‡2920.0%0.0%—
2006‡3325.0%3.0%—
2005‡330.0%0.0%—
2004‡34—0.0%—
2003archive‡1290.0%0.0% proxy—
2002archive‡1220.0%0.0% proxy—
2001archive1180.0%0.0% proxy—
2000archive1080.0%0.0% proxy—

‡ fewer than 70 roster rows or under 75% known home state — treat with caution.

archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as detected transfer stock.

Where the roster grew up

Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

West Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometownWest Virginia player hometown

Homecoming Radius: 484 mi

(This slider is for exploring — leaderboards use the fixed lenses.)

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