WVU adds UNLV transfer linebacker

Jan. 4—West Virginia picked up its second transfer this cycle, and it's second defensive player.

UCLA and UNLV linebacker Isaiah Patterson announced his commitment to the Mountaineers on social media. This comes on the same day Patterson took an official visit with Rich Rodriguez, Zac Alley and staff in Morgantown.

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Patterson is a young prospect, playing just two years in college. He started at UCLA, where he played just one game on special teams, and then transferred to UNLV to play for head coach Dan Mullen in 2025. In one year, Patterson played a whole season for the Rebels, including in the bowl loss to Ohio. The Vancouver, Washington, native racked up 46 tackles, a half of a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Patterson should be a player of the future for the Mountaineers with three years of eligibility remaining. WVU's linebacker room was hit hard with graduations this year. Linebacker Reid Carrico and Chase Wilson have both run out of eligibility, so WVU needs some depth at the position.

This is the second young defensive player WVU has added in just three days of the portal being opened. Saturday, WVU added Division II defensive lineman Will LeBlanc from UT-Permian Basin. He also has three years in college left, too.

It seems Rodriguez is going after younger portal additions during this cycle. Rodriguez said he wanted to build a younger roster that'll be the foundation for years to come. That was true when he added 49 players in the 2026 recruiting class.

Rodriguez will probably add some more experienced players in the portal, but for now, he's going younger to have more time coaching them up.