GLENVILLE, W.Va. – First-year head coach Jake Casteel has brought in nearly 80 newcomers to Glenville for the 2026 season, and with that comes a new bunch ready to emerge on the scene. The ever-changing landscape of college athletics has made it an option for coaches to bring in so many players at once, especially those in their first season, and made it a possibility for fresh faces to become fan favorites.
 
Of those almost 80 newcomers, nearly half are from the transfer portal. "We're going to keep using it but I don't want to live in it," said Casteel on the MetroNews Sportsline earlier in the week. The portal is a vital piece to any team's success in today's college football, and GSU is looking to use that recipe for success.
 
Need a proven playmaker in the slot? Portal. Look at Joziah Gonzalez, two-time All-NE10 First Team selection, NE10 Rookie of the Year, over 100 receptions and nearly 1,300 yards in his career.. that'll play.
 
Need to get an experienced running back? Portal. Why just get one when you get two? RB/TE Coach Seth Arnold did just that. Adding Jamir Fox and Amir Simmons gives the Pioneers a combined 25 games of experience to an already veteran duo of Zavione Wood (28 games played) and Graylan Holland (17 games).
 
The Pioneers added everywhere. The offensive line brings back the most production, including all-conference selections Benjamin Kilgore and Michael Hogan, but there was room to add, and a valuable spot to fill. Former in-state standout Wyatt Minor signed in the winter after spending time at both Youngstown State and West Virginia – bringing his size (6-5, 308) with him.
 
One of the more intriguing battles of the fall sits just behind that bulky offensive line, the quarterback position. Maddox Bowers is back for his junior campaign after spending the first two seasons behind first team all-conference gunslinger Anthony Garrett, but just like any position group, additions were made.
 
Redshirt junior JD Sherrod made his way to Glenville after a trio of stops at the Division 1 level – and is ready to make an immediate impact. "I think we can win with both of them," noted Coach Casteel at the 2026 Glenville State Football Media Day. The dark horse though? Freshman Jaden Weatherly. The 5-foot-11, 235-pounder has a strong arm and has impressed Coach Casteel early in fall camp.
 
The defense saw even more turnover, and with that, even more new faces.
 
After losing much of his production from a year ago, Assistant Head Coach/DL Coach Brian Hill had his hands full in the off-season. He brought in someone who's going to be a handful himself in Wesley Brown Jr., a former in-state star at Bridgeport and transfer from St. Francis. His former teammates, Alex Moses and Donovan Williams, transitioned well to college ball at Glenville, and I'm sure Coach Hill wouldn't complain if Brown mirrored the same success.
 
Coach Casteel wasn't just busy building a program at Glenville for the last eight months, he's also been quietly putting together a versatile linebacking core. A new face to some, old face to others – Jacob Clark – is back in Glenville after being an All-MEC performer in 2023 and spending the last two seasons at South Dakota.
 
Another Division 1 transfer never hurts, and Tyson Garrett fit the bill at a spot of need. Garrett, who's played both running back and linebacker at William & Mary over the last four seasons, has found his true role with the Pioneers in 2026.
 
Roles were slim and revamping the backend of the defense was a necessity for coaches Jacob Roser and Az-Zahir Smith, especially after much of last year's defense departed via graduation or through the transfer portal. So… need to add instant playmakers? The portal had a few.
 
The staff raved about the play of Navy transfer Knowel Smith in the spring at his 6-foot-2, 203-pound frame. Smith will see plenty of game action with safeties Ty Wickliffe (Charleston) and Bryson Oliver (Emory & Henry), as both bring versatility and experience to the new-look backend of the defense.
 
Versatility is something many of the defensive backs have, and that doesn't stop at Da'Jon Barnes. The UVA Wise transfer played in 14 games and had 24 tackles over the last two seasons for the Cavaliers at safety, but the multifaceted transfer is keying on making plays at cornerback in Pioneer blue.
 
Plays being made will be key early on for GSU in 2026, as the Pioneers open up the season in under two weeks at Division 1 Elon on Thursday, August 27^th. Glenville State's first home game in the brand-new Ike & Sue Morris Stadium will be the following week when Millersville makes the trip to central West Virginia for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Thursday, September 3^rd.
 
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