West Virginia and Garnett Hollis Jr., a match made in heaven.

The former Northwestern cornerback had very specific ideas about where he wanted to go after entering the transfer portal, while WVU’s coaching staff made it a top priority to bring in an experienced, long cornerback who could help lock down one half of the field. On February 20, Hollis made the move to WVU official.

“I was just ready for a change. I graduated and pretty much did everything I wanted to in this program and my senior year I wanted to get everything I could out of college football,” Hollis said of entering the portal. “When I came to West Virginia, they have the fan base, they have the winning record, they have a lot of players back that were key players and they have a good culture here. Being able to talk to coach (Jevaughn) Codlin and coaches ShaDon (Brown) and Drew (Fabianich) during the portal just showed the initiative that I was looking for. I wanted to feel like I was wanted. Having conversations with them every day and getting that feel for them just felt right.”

A big reason for Hollis’ decision was what Beanie Bishop did in his only year at WVU after transferring from Minnesota. Hollis cited that Bishop had 24 pass breakups last season, while he was only targeted 37 times last season at Northwestern. Quite simply, there are more opportunities for cornerbacks to make plays in the Big 12 than in the Big Ten. The coaching staff pitched Bishop’s All-American season, and Hollis bought it.

“I have one year left, so I’m trying to make the most of it, I’m trying to get to the next level. So the school I’m going to has to be able to take that next step. Coach ShaDon, Coach Cod, they all made me feel like I could do this. They made me feel like I could be a top player. They made me feel like I could come here and play. With Beanie’s success, they made me feel like I could have that same success. Just talking to them made me feel like I had a real connection.”

Hollis even talked a bit with Bishop before making his decision, who raved about WVU’s coaching staff, strength coach Mike Joseph and the overall culture in Morgantown. And to top it off, Hollis is coming to West Virginia with one of his closest friends, Jaheem Joseph, who also transferred here from Northwestern.

“It was a smooth transition. I feel like the players really accepted me when I got here, so that made it a lot easier. And then one of my former teammates came with me as well, so it was a lot easier transition than if I had gone somewhere where I didn’t know anyone. And then on the field, I feel like we clicked well from the start. We were able to communicate, work out plans, discuss different things on the field that we see and like and don’t like. I didn’t have any issues, it was a smooth transition.”

Hollis’ length and size allow West Virginia to play more press coverage than in years past. This could be one of the best transfers in the Big 12 by the end of the season.

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