Neal Brown recaps process of signing NC State transfer Devin Carter

One of the biggest splashes West Virginia landed in the transfer portal was former NC State wide receiver Devin Carter. He announced his commitment to the Mountaineers Jan. 11 and could look to provide a boost to the WVU wide receiver room.

Neal Brown said there were a few reasons why West Virginia stood out to Carter. He also knows Bryce Ford-Wheaton well, and that bond helped Brown and the Mountaineers build a relationship with Carter and ultimately land his commitment.

“Two things that were factors. No. 1, his mom is from West Virginia,” Brown said. “She’s from the Princeton area. That was a factor. … Then, he and Bryce’s relationship did matter. I think he saw the production that Bryce had over the last two years and thought, ‘OK,’ because these guys — he’s got one year left. He was a four-year starter, they had a good football team and Dave [Doeren] does a good job down at NC State. He wanted the opportunity to be more productive.

“Obviously, we lost production, so that was appealing to him. Those two things I just mentioned got us in the door. Offensively, he understands that this is a good fit for him. If you look back for a long time, at different places, our No. 1 guy has been really productive and I think he’s got an opportunity to do that here.”

Carter had an impressive four years with NC State, totaling 1,895 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over his four years as a starter. After entering the portal Dec. 13, he became the No. 47-ranked wide receiver to hit the portal during this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Neal Brown admits 2022 season ‘wasn’t good enough’

Since Neal Brown took over in Morgantown in 2019, West Virginia still hasn’t finished with a winning record. Now, after the latest result was a 5-7 campaign in 2022, even he admits that he and the Mountaineers aren’t meeting expectations.

During a press conference on Monday, Brown did say he felt good about his team winning two of the last three weeks. However, considering the big picture overall, he knows that the product on the field once again fell short, specifically due to consistency.

“It just wasn’t good enough,” said Brown. “It’s on me. I accept it. I’m not trying to sugarcoat that. It wasn’t good enough.”

“I’m proud of how our guys finished (by) winning two of the last three. I am proud of that (by) beating Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Those are big wins. But we weren’t consistent enough. So, I know that.”