Any uncertainty when it comes to JoVanni Stewart has been cleared up.
Late last week, it was confirmed that Stewart would bench himself for West Virginia’s Week 6 game against Texas as he contemplated a football future that included taking a redshirt for the 2019 season that would make him a healthy scratch for the remainder of the year. During his press conference Tuesday, first-year head coach Neal Brown confirmed that the starting safety “has made the decision to not be an active participant and, as a result, he is no longer a member of the team this fall.”
Based in part on that “this fall” proviso, there had been a sliver of hope that Stewart would, ultimately, remain with the Mountaineers; Friday, that door was all but shut as the defensive back’s name is officially listed in the NCAA transfer database. While there’s still technically a chance he could remain in Morgantown, the odds are heavily against it.
FWIW: JoVanni Stewart is officially in the transfer portal. Teams are free to contact him now. And he's free to withdraw his name.
— Mike Casazza (@mikecasazza) October 11, 2019
You never say never, but there's virtually no chance he's back with #WVU. https://t.co/yQnsrCJMx6
Because Stewart has played in just four games in 2019, he’ll be permitted to use his redshirt for this season. That would then leave the fourth-year senior defensive back with a year of eligibility he can use at another school in 2020.
Stewart started 11 of 12 games in 2018 before starting the first four games this season. Last season, the Texas native was second on the Mountaineers with 10½ tackles for loss and tied for fourth in tackles with 54.