GLENVILLE, W.Va. – A familiar face on the Glenville State Football coaching staff led a trio of transfers home to Glenville for the 2026 season.
 
Jamir Fox, Caden Harris and Rico Thomas maybe didn't know each other at the end of 2025, but they all had one thing in common: Knowing new offensive coordinator Nate Mullen.
 
Fox, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back transferred in at the mid-year after spending two years at Lenoir-Rhyne, where Mullen spent the 2025 season as the Bears running backs coach. That relationship built 60 miles northwest of Charlotte would pay dividends once Mullen made the decision to take an offer from head coach Jake Casteel that he couldn't turn down.
 
"Jake called me and told me he got it (the job), I ended up deciding to do it and it's been the best decision we've ever made. I've loved every second of it," said Mullen on The Jake Casteel Show.
 
Once Mullen and the rest of the Pioneer staff got settled into Glenville in mid-December, things started to really heat up. That's when the dominos started to fall, with some important transfers making the decision play for the Pioneers in 2026. "Me and (Jamir) Fox have a really good relationship. He hadn't committed anywhere once I got the job here and when he committed that got us really fired up."
 
Fox appeared in nine games and ran for 299 yards on 99 carries with three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2024 for the Bears. After redshirting at LR last season, he comes to Glenville with three years of eligibility and a hunger to contribute for the Pioneers in 2026.
 
UTEP transfer wide receiver Caden Harris spent three seasons with the Miners, most notably the 2023 season when Mullen was the Tight Ends Coach / Offensive Quality Control (WRs) in El Paso. Harris appeared in three games that year, returning two kicks and holding onto a redshirt. Harris' quick twitch and open field speed made him any easy selection for scout team, which Mullen helped coach for UTEP.
 
"Seeing him every day in practice, knowing what kind of kid he was. Another guy like Fox where I knew what type of player they were. Bringing him in, he has been unbelievable. He's even better than I thought he would be." That relationship three years ago has led the promising 5-foot-10, 165-pound wide receiver to Glenville with big play capability ready to be displayed.
 
Going back even further led another transfer wideout to choose Glenville State, with a pit stop by Coach Mullen at UVA Wise in 2022 proving to be even more worth it four years down the road. Redshirt senior wide receiver Rico Thomas spent four seasons with the Cavaliers, including his true freshman season with Mullen in '22.
 
"It's been a couple years since I coached him, he's gotten way better since I was with him at Wise."
 
The two spent the 2022 campaign together when Mullen was the Running Backs Coach and Co-Special Teams Coordinator. Thomas spent time with special teams, which allowed Mullen to get a closer look at the 6-foot, 164-pound product out of Hopewell, Va. Though Thomas didn't play much at UVA Wise, Mullen already knew the type of player he was getting and the competition he would bring to the WR room.
 
That competition has been visible through the first three weeks of spring ball, with all three showcasing their skills in front of the first-year offensive coordinator in the blue and white. The final showcase takes place this Saturday (Apr. 25), when the Pioneers host their annual Blue vs. White Spring Game at the Morris Family Health & Fitness Complex at 1 p.m.
 
MEDIA
Fans can follow Glenville State Football on Twitter (X) @GlenvilleStFB and Instagram @GlenvilleStFB for news and much more all off-season long.
 
Subscribe to 'Glenville State Athletics' on YouTube to keep up with all GSU Athletics content.