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Pursuit of engineering degree leads West Virginia’s Michael Ferns to give up football

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Fullback/tight end Michael Ferns III’s decision to leave the West Virginia football team was “100 percent about getting his engineering degree,” his father told MetroNews on Wednesday night.

The redshirt junior, a former four-star recruit, played 74 offensive snaps last season for the Mountaineers after transferring from Michigan. The ex-linebacker did not record a carry or a reception but also appeared on 196 special-teams plays.

While Ferns figured to be the second-string blocking back behind Elijah Wellman next season, he’s an academic senior taking advanced classes in calculus, coding and app design, and must maintain a 3.