Dana relies too heavily on transfers--17 in the two-deep depth chart. We recruit mostly out-of-state players. We need those players to stay 4-5 years in the program for them to appreciate and buy into the program.
Out-of-state transfers who are here for a year or two play for themselves too much and not for the program.
It would be nice to operate in a perfect world where you can grow your own players over a 4-5 year incubation period. This is what the Michigans, Ohio States and Penn States do. However, you can't do that at WVU, and certainly not at the level of talent required to compete in the Big 12. And that is a big reason why we cannot compete on a year-in, year-out basis with the biggest names in college football.
We have virtually no in-state players to choose from and are forced to import nearly everyone to fill a Division 1 NCAA roster. Our coaches now and over the last 40 years have done remarkably well in spite of this major impediment.
Worse yet, given the economic condition of the state, our high schools rarely get a kid to transfer in that has Division 1 talent. So, unlike other states who have thriving economic conditions, we have very few families transferring in for employment reasons.
So we are in the business of importing players here, and you take them however you can get them. Some of our greatest ever players at WVU have been transfer students and jucos.
