West Virginia has landed former standout Virginia Union safety William Davis.
Davis, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior, joins an extremely talented list of HBCU athletes who have made the transition to the FBS Power-4. Davis brings everything from ball production to coverage versatility to the Mountaineers secondary.
In two years as a starter for the Virginia Union Panthers, Davis notched 115 tackles (25 for loss), nine interceptions, four sacks, and two forced fumbles. Davis' numbers earned him 2024 All-CIAA honors and further solidified him as one of the best defenders in the conference.
Following a stellar season, Davis drew tons of FBS interest after entering the transfer portal in late December.
Despite such interest, it seemed that West Virginia was Davis' fit all along. He visited West Virginia on January 10th and committed shortly after.
The Mountaineer's efforts to secure Davis further showcase their emphasis on an improved secondary next season. He joins three additional safety recruits in the Mountaineer's 2025 class. Combined with their safeties already rostered, the Mountaineers now have 14 rostered safeties.
Despite the Mountaineer's wide-range of depth, their safety room lacks experience, placing Davis in a position to contribute immediately.




Furthermore, Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez recently announced the hiring of new defensive coordinator Zac Alley. Alley's addition to the team could work in Davis' favor for a number of reasons.
To begin, Davis' proven capability to make plays in one-high safety shells, two-high safety shells, and in the box could make him a prime candidate to become coach Alley's “Swiss army knife.”
Secondly, the Mountaineers also announced the hiring of a new safeties coach Gabe Franklin. Rich Rodriguez's defensive staff overhaul further emphasizes that each defender from the last coaching regime will have to work twice as hard to retain their spot on the depth chart.
And that's where the third reason comes in — William Davis is just that good. Given that the Mountaineer's defense has to ‘rebuild' their defense from the ground up, each player has a fair chance at playing time.
Davis's senior season will be played on the biggest stage of college football. After proving himself at the HBCU level, Davis brought his playmaking ability to a Power-4 program that was looking to strengthen its defense.