Villanova Loses Key Linebacker to Transfer Portal in Surprise Move

Villanova Football lost a surprise transfer on Sunday, Jan. 18, with linebacker Jason Hall announcing his commitment to WVU Football.

Hall hadn’t announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. A 6-foot-2, 230 pound rising junior, Hall racked up 40 tackles (28 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble across 14 games in 2025. He’s one of four Wildcats’ transfers this season to make the jump to Power Four, a testament to Villanova’s recruiting and development acumen: Zahmir Dawud chose Rutgers, Anthony Hawkins picked Iowa, and David Avit went to Arizona State.

Playing on defense and special teams, Hall could’ve stepped up to fill the void left after the graduation of mainstays like Shane Hartzell and Richie Kimmel. Instead, he’ll suit up for the Mountaineers in the fall.

Hall’s departure means Villanova has 21 spots to fill on their roster ahead of the 2026 season. They have an incoming recruiting class of 13 players and have secured two transfers so far, but still have plenty of work to do. The transfer portal will fully close to new entries on Wednesday, Jan. 21, with extra time afforded for schools to process paperwork and because of the federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Players already in the portal can still choose their new schools, so expect Villanova to get busy in the coming weeks as they flesh out their roster, whether via transfers or continued high school recruiting. To that end, they offered 2026 recruit and all-state receiver Brandon DeAngelo on Wednesday, Jan. 14.