MORGANTOWN — In this era of college football and athletics, the transfer portal is part of everyday lives. If a player isn’t happy with their current situation, they can change schools in the offseason and be ready to play for their new team the following season. There’s no punishment for transferring. There’s a graphic for the NCAA men’s tournament that shows just one of the Sweet 16 teams had no transfers in their starting five, and that was Michigan State.

A player staying as a freshman until they graduate is rare in college athletics these days, especially in college football. It’s even harder when there are coaching changes, like West Virginia made before the 2025 season.

Linebacker Ben Cutter is one of those rare instances. Cutter joined the Mountaineers in 2023 as a Neal Brown recruit, and has stayed even through the coaching change, and will play his fourth season for WVU in 2026.

“I love this state,” Cutter said. “I love this team. I don’t think there is anything that could pull me out of here. I want to be a West Virginia fan for the rest of my life. I don’t know what people do, that transfer around to four different schools, who do you support when you’re done playing college football? I want to support the Mountaineers. That’s why I’m still here.”

Cutter’s return to WVU in 2026 was crucial. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley relies on his linebackers a lot, and they are the heart of the defense. Last year, Chase Wilson and Reid Carrico were the leaders of the defense and were an extension of Alley. But Carrico and Wilson won’t be putting on the gold and blue in 2026, running out of eligibility. Alley needs a new leader of the defense, and that’s Cutter.

Cutter said he has a strong relationship with Alley, especially in Year 2.

“I was more nervous to go in and talk with him and say stuff,” Cutter said. “Now, I feel real comfortable with him. If there’s something that sticks out. I just feel like I can talk to him now for sure. It’s a good relationship.”

Alley will rely on Cutter to get the call, set the defensive front, make adjustments and checks, and make sure everyone at all three levels is on the same page. It’s a lot, but Cutter learned from Carrico and Wilson last year, so he’s ready to take on the challenge.

“I learned a lot last year within this scheme, but also about playing linebacker in general,” Cutter said. “I’m a lot better player now than I was at the beginning of the season last year. So that helps.”

Through the first couple of practices, WVU has had four now, Cutter has emerged as one of the leaders, so he’s already off to a great start. He’s a veteran on the team, in his fourth year in the program. But he’s also had two years in Alley’s scheme, which a lot of the new additions hadn’t.

Cutter is learning about his new teammate and figuring out which players he can take to battle. He has a couple of candidates.

“Main thing I’m focusing on right now is character, who I want out there with me whenever stuff gets hard,” Cutter said. “But I think that our staff did a really good job this year on getting guys that really love the game, want to play, high character, aren’t going to turn it down when stuff gets hard. I’m just learning that these guys are real dudes.”

WVU and Alley brought in some help for Cutter. The Mountaineers picked up a couple of weathered linebackers in the portal, like Florida Atlantic transfer Tyler Stolsky and Illinois’ Malachi Hood. Both should play alongside Cutter and are candidates to be starters in the fall. There are also young linebackers who either transferred in or are freshmen.

“There’s some other guys that have been in college football for a while, and they help out with that,” Cutter said. “Setting the tone, let everyone know how we practice and what we need to do each day to prepare, getting in the film room.”

Cutter will be the head of the room and lead the defense. He’s got a lot of pressure on him going into 2026, but that’s what you have to expect when you’ve been in Morgantown for four years, and two with Alley.

“We got to lead that defense out there, and it’s a big role, but we’re happy to step into it,” Cutter said. “It’s kind of wild. I’ve only been here for four years, and there’s not many guys that stay in a program anymore, so I definitely feel like the old guy.”