--College football is currently in the midst of the new August dead period which began this year. That means that there will be no visits for West Virginia this month because coaches are permitted from face-to-face contact with any possible recruits.
--That doesn't mean that you still couldn't see some ripples in the water. Crozet (Va.) Western Albemarle offensive tackle Luke Tenuta has informed me that he is still planning to make a college decision before the end of the month and right now he is selecting between West Virginia, North Carolina and Central Florida. The Mountaineers offered in June and he returned again for a visit for the Showtime Event and has established a good connection with the coaches. West Virginia and North Carolina wants him at offensive tackle, while Central Florida prefers him at defensive line. There is a chance he could wait until early into the season, but if he sticks to his timeline there could be some resolution here at any time.
--Fairmont (W.Va.) Fairmont Senior defensive end Dante Stills has also hinted in the past that a decision could come before the start of his season although it wouldn't surprise me if he elected to wait in order to take some official visits. Stills, the son of Gary, has obviously strong ties to the West Virginia football program but there is some pull with Florida and Oklahoma, particularly the Gators. I've felt West Virginia is in a good spot here for sometime and if he holds to potentially making a decision before the start of his season, it could be good news. I wouldn't be surprised even if he did make a decision before then that he would elect to take some official visits just to get out and see some schools. This one is wait and see right now but Stills remains the top priority on the defensive line but even if they are able to add him in the fold it wouldn't surprise me to see another.
--While Portsmouth (Oh.) Sciotoville East offensive lineman Blaine Scott has not made any declarations that a decision could be on the horizon, he is another that I would watch closely. The former Mississippi commitment has since backed off that pledge and is now looking at all of his options. But even before his eventual decommitment, West Virginia was the school that I kept hearing in regards to his overall recruitment. The Mountaineers just offered in late July and he quickly made a visit there within only a couple days. From what sources have told me, he was waiting on that scholarship for quite some time and the fact it is closer to home and has stability are very attractive factors for him. A decision at anytime wouldn't be surprising here.
--Last week a source indicated to me that West Virginia was moving up the board for Aliquippa (Pa.) safety Kwantel Raines and was now sitting right at the top of his list. One of the things that source indicated to me was that Penn State was filling up in their class and wasn't sure if he would be a take at the moment (that I have confirmed) while the other aspect was he was souring some on Pittsburgh based off some feedback from players on the team and other factors (that I haven't.) If that second part is true, Raines is not corroborating it at the moment as he spoke with our Pitt site and said that he still is very interested in the Panthers and he hasn't not cooled on them. Regardless, he does plan to make an official visit to West Virginia likely for the Texas Tech game and the Mountaineers do have a little momentum. I've always felt Pittsburgh is the leader here and if he is still very interested in the Panthers it makes it a difficult pull. But there is more optimism here than at any other point of the process.
--Speaking of official visits, because no prospect can take a trip this month, expect those to begin once the season starts. Give the new signing period in December, I expect West Virginia will utilize more in-season visits than in the past but how many will be a good question. This coaching staff has always preferred to have players on campus when the coaches can spend more time with them instead of the hectic game weekends so that will be an interesting dynamic to watch. Some prospects that have indicated they will take official visits already along with Raines are New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker cornerback Corione Harris, Valdosta (Ga.) linebacker Zakoby McClain, Loganville (Ga.) cornerback Donte Burton and Coffeyville (Kan.) C.C. offensive lineman Reuben Lewis just to name a few.
--Brooklyn (N.Y.) ASA College cornerback Jeremy Webb also could be a candidate for an early season official visit but he also could make it to campus unofficially as well. Webb has been trying to get to Morgantown since he first received a scholarship offer and right now the Mountaineers are in a good spot. He is a native of Florida and would have three years to play two. Webb received his official offer from the program a few weeks ago.
--The first major surprise of the recruiting process came when Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances wide receiver Randy Fields committed to West Virginia last week without ever formally acknowledging the fact that the Mountaineers have offered him a scholarship. Things moved fast here, but Fields had been on the radar for quite some time and is an exciting prospect with his combination of size, ability to catch the ball and speed for a bigger wide receiver. Still, I had been told by sources that the wide receiver was a "wait and see," type of deal even before Fields when it came to adding another prospect to the class and when I asked again this past week was told the same thing. Right now it's a matter of waiting and if the right player comes along they could take another. But for now, it's the dreaded wait and see approach which as history has shown a surprise could come again.
--To my knowledge no updates on the situation with North Versailles (Pa.) East Allegheny athlete TJ Banks. I believe West Virginia would still take a commitment there because of his versatility but it appears he is set on playing on the offensive side and is exploring all of his options. Illinois has gotten involved and several others are starting to show interest as well.
--The door certainly isn't closed for West Virginia with Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna College offensive tackle T.J. Bradley but programs like Penn State, Maryland and Pittsburgh are starting to surge ahead, especially the first two on that list. Bradley has been to Morgantown before but the draw of the Big 10 is something that has excited him of late. He has been to both of those recently.
--One prospect I'm unsure of right now is Miami (Okla.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M J.C. safety Lamontre Huval. I've tried to get in touch with him since official offers has gone out to players and he has not returned any of my inquiries through multiple mediums. Could be just a busy time of the year, but West Virginia reportedly offered him earlier in the process and not sure where things stand at the moment. I'm trying to find out more.
--Right now there are 15 commitments in the class, with room for about 22 overall. That could obviously change depending on attrition but expect West Virginia to be rather selective on the prospects they take throughout the rest of the process. The good news is that a lot of positions have good numbers, now it is about filling them out with quality.
--Class breakdown:
QB: Bolivar (Tn.) Central quarterback Trey Lowe (Done)
RB: Smyrna (De.) running back Leddie Brown (Done)
WR: Holly Springs (N.C.) wide receiver Bryce Wheaton, Houston (Tx.) North Shore wide receiver Ralph Davis, Richmond Hill (Ga.) wide receiver Sam James, Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances wide receiver Randy Fields (Will take maybe 1 more)
TE: Oak Park (Il.) Fenwick athlete Mike O’Laughlin, Chicago (Ill.) Marist tight end TJ Ivy (Done)
OL: Alpharetta (Ga.) offensive lineman Oyenmwen Uzebu, Bolivar (Tn.) Central offensive lineman Briason Mays (Will take 2-3 more)
DL: Bethel Park (Pa.) defensive tackle James Gmiter, Paintsville (Ky.) defensive lineman Tyrese Allen, Pickerington (Oh.) Pickerington North defensive end Alex Williams (Will take 1-2 more)
LB: Canton (Oh.) McKinley linebacker Josh Chandler (Will take 2 more)
S: Will take 1-2
CB: Valdosta (Ga.) cornerback Jayce Rogers (Will take 2-3 more)
Some of the top targets remaining at each position:
WR: Dayton (Oh.) Dunbar wide receiver Joseph Scates and a number of others that you can see on the Hotboard.
ATH: North Versailles (Pa.) East Allegheny athlete TJ Banks
OL: Portsmouth (Oh.) Sciotoville East offensive lineman Blaine Scott, Crozet (Va.) Western Albemarle offensive tackle Luke Tenuta, Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu, Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna College offensive tackle T.J. Bradley, Coffeyville (Kan.) C.C. offensive lineman Reuben Lewis
DL: Fairmont (W.Va.) Fairmont Senior defensive end Dante Stills, Chesapeake (Va.) Western Branch defensive lineman Jalen Alexander
LB: Valdosta (Ga.) linebacker Zakoby McClain, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood linebacker James Miller
S: Aliquippa (Pa.) safety Kwantel Raines, Miami (Okla.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M J.C. safety Lamontre Huval
CB: Loganville (Ga.) cornerback Donte Burton, New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker cornerback Corione Harris, Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison cornerback Marquis Alston, Bluefield (Va.) Graham athlete Taymon Cooke, Brooklyn (N.Y.) ASA College cornerback Jeremy Webb
--On the hoops side, West Virginia has one commitment in the 2018 class in Kaukauna (Wi.) point guard Jordan McCabe but the Mountaineers aren't done. In addition to the situation with Derek Culver likely prepping this year to join the team in 2018, West Virginia is targeting a number of other prospects to add to the group.
--Cleveland (Oh.) Holy Name guard Dwayne Cohill is expected to set an official visit to Morgantown and some people believe that the Mountaineers are the leader here. I think the competition is going to be stiff with his top ten schools and he has already set official visits to Ohio State (9.22) and Virginia Tech (10.20). The Mountaineers have had him on campus before but will need to get an official visit in order to be a major factor before he plans to sign in November.
--Clinton (Md.) Clinton Christian forward Jermaine Harris has West Virginia in his final eight along with Kansas, Miami, Maryland, South Carolina, Xavier, Rhode Island and Southern Utah. He has been to West Virginia several times but is looking at locking in all of his official visits, which the Mountaineers will obviously need to get one here.
--Midwest City (Okla.) guard Keyshawn Embery is down to a top five of West Virginia, Texas A&M, Butler, Arkansas and Arizona State and has already set official visits to all five of those. The schedule will be as follows Arkansas (Aug. 25), Butler (Sept. 9), West Virginia (Sept. 15), Arizona State (Sept. 23) and Arizona State (Sept. 29). Also a four-star guard, West Virginia did not extend an offer until this summer, but the fact he has already set up a visit is a good sign.
--Another prospect that West Virginia sits in the top five for is Irvington (N.J.) Hudson Catholic guard Luther Muhammad along with Ohio State, St. John's, Virginia and Xavier. West Virginia recently offered him but now will need to get him on campus for an official visit. I've been told that his head coach is actually DeSean Butler's old head coach which is an interesting tie.
--Tacoma (Wa.) Wilson forward Emmitt Matthews just received an offer from West Virginia this past week and there is obvious interest between the two parties. Matthews is a close friend of McCabe and his recruitment has started to pick up some major steam of late with others like Georgetown and Connecticut jumping into the picture. Unlike the other two, he is around 6-foot-7, and is a versatile wing that could play multiple spots. I'd watch for a visit here to be set in the near future.
--And if Culver doesn't make it as is widely expected and basically assumed as a lock at this point, what happens to that last 2017 scholarship? At this point I've heard the gamut of what could possibly happen with it possibly going to Jethro Tshisumpa to possibly exploring a graduate transfer, to giving it to Logan Routt or waiting to use in the 2018 cycle. At this point literally none of those options would surprise me with what happens with it.
--That doesn't mean that you still couldn't see some ripples in the water. Crozet (Va.) Western Albemarle offensive tackle Luke Tenuta has informed me that he is still planning to make a college decision before the end of the month and right now he is selecting between West Virginia, North Carolina and Central Florida. The Mountaineers offered in June and he returned again for a visit for the Showtime Event and has established a good connection with the coaches. West Virginia and North Carolina wants him at offensive tackle, while Central Florida prefers him at defensive line. There is a chance he could wait until early into the season, but if he sticks to his timeline there could be some resolution here at any time.
--Fairmont (W.Va.) Fairmont Senior defensive end Dante Stills has also hinted in the past that a decision could come before the start of his season although it wouldn't surprise me if he elected to wait in order to take some official visits. Stills, the son of Gary, has obviously strong ties to the West Virginia football program but there is some pull with Florida and Oklahoma, particularly the Gators. I've felt West Virginia is in a good spot here for sometime and if he holds to potentially making a decision before the start of his season, it could be good news. I wouldn't be surprised even if he did make a decision before then that he would elect to take some official visits just to get out and see some schools. This one is wait and see right now but Stills remains the top priority on the defensive line but even if they are able to add him in the fold it wouldn't surprise me to see another.
--While Portsmouth (Oh.) Sciotoville East offensive lineman Blaine Scott has not made any declarations that a decision could be on the horizon, he is another that I would watch closely. The former Mississippi commitment has since backed off that pledge and is now looking at all of his options. But even before his eventual decommitment, West Virginia was the school that I kept hearing in regards to his overall recruitment. The Mountaineers just offered in late July and he quickly made a visit there within only a couple days. From what sources have told me, he was waiting on that scholarship for quite some time and the fact it is closer to home and has stability are very attractive factors for him. A decision at anytime wouldn't be surprising here.
--Last week a source indicated to me that West Virginia was moving up the board for Aliquippa (Pa.) safety Kwantel Raines and was now sitting right at the top of his list. One of the things that source indicated to me was that Penn State was filling up in their class and wasn't sure if he would be a take at the moment (that I have confirmed) while the other aspect was he was souring some on Pittsburgh based off some feedback from players on the team and other factors (that I haven't.) If that second part is true, Raines is not corroborating it at the moment as he spoke with our Pitt site and said that he still is very interested in the Panthers and he hasn't not cooled on them. Regardless, he does plan to make an official visit to West Virginia likely for the Texas Tech game and the Mountaineers do have a little momentum. I've always felt Pittsburgh is the leader here and if he is still very interested in the Panthers it makes it a difficult pull. But there is more optimism here than at any other point of the process.
--Speaking of official visits, because no prospect can take a trip this month, expect those to begin once the season starts. Give the new signing period in December, I expect West Virginia will utilize more in-season visits than in the past but how many will be a good question. This coaching staff has always preferred to have players on campus when the coaches can spend more time with them instead of the hectic game weekends so that will be an interesting dynamic to watch. Some prospects that have indicated they will take official visits already along with Raines are New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker cornerback Corione Harris, Valdosta (Ga.) linebacker Zakoby McClain, Loganville (Ga.) cornerback Donte Burton and Coffeyville (Kan.) C.C. offensive lineman Reuben Lewis just to name a few.
--Brooklyn (N.Y.) ASA College cornerback Jeremy Webb also could be a candidate for an early season official visit but he also could make it to campus unofficially as well. Webb has been trying to get to Morgantown since he first received a scholarship offer and right now the Mountaineers are in a good spot. He is a native of Florida and would have three years to play two. Webb received his official offer from the program a few weeks ago.
--The first major surprise of the recruiting process came when Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances wide receiver Randy Fields committed to West Virginia last week without ever formally acknowledging the fact that the Mountaineers have offered him a scholarship. Things moved fast here, but Fields had been on the radar for quite some time and is an exciting prospect with his combination of size, ability to catch the ball and speed for a bigger wide receiver. Still, I had been told by sources that the wide receiver was a "wait and see," type of deal even before Fields when it came to adding another prospect to the class and when I asked again this past week was told the same thing. Right now it's a matter of waiting and if the right player comes along they could take another. But for now, it's the dreaded wait and see approach which as history has shown a surprise could come again.
--To my knowledge no updates on the situation with North Versailles (Pa.) East Allegheny athlete TJ Banks. I believe West Virginia would still take a commitment there because of his versatility but it appears he is set on playing on the offensive side and is exploring all of his options. Illinois has gotten involved and several others are starting to show interest as well.
--The door certainly isn't closed for West Virginia with Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna College offensive tackle T.J. Bradley but programs like Penn State, Maryland and Pittsburgh are starting to surge ahead, especially the first two on that list. Bradley has been to Morgantown before but the draw of the Big 10 is something that has excited him of late. He has been to both of those recently.
--One prospect I'm unsure of right now is Miami (Okla.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M J.C. safety Lamontre Huval. I've tried to get in touch with him since official offers has gone out to players and he has not returned any of my inquiries through multiple mediums. Could be just a busy time of the year, but West Virginia reportedly offered him earlier in the process and not sure where things stand at the moment. I'm trying to find out more.
--Right now there are 15 commitments in the class, with room for about 22 overall. That could obviously change depending on attrition but expect West Virginia to be rather selective on the prospects they take throughout the rest of the process. The good news is that a lot of positions have good numbers, now it is about filling them out with quality.
--Class breakdown:
QB: Bolivar (Tn.) Central quarterback Trey Lowe (Done)
RB: Smyrna (De.) running back Leddie Brown (Done)
WR: Holly Springs (N.C.) wide receiver Bryce Wheaton, Houston (Tx.) North Shore wide receiver Ralph Davis, Richmond Hill (Ga.) wide receiver Sam James, Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances wide receiver Randy Fields (Will take maybe 1 more)
TE: Oak Park (Il.) Fenwick athlete Mike O’Laughlin, Chicago (Ill.) Marist tight end TJ Ivy (Done)
OL: Alpharetta (Ga.) offensive lineman Oyenmwen Uzebu, Bolivar (Tn.) Central offensive lineman Briason Mays (Will take 2-3 more)
DL: Bethel Park (Pa.) defensive tackle James Gmiter, Paintsville (Ky.) defensive lineman Tyrese Allen, Pickerington (Oh.) Pickerington North defensive end Alex Williams (Will take 1-2 more)
LB: Canton (Oh.) McKinley linebacker Josh Chandler (Will take 2 more)
S: Will take 1-2
CB: Valdosta (Ga.) cornerback Jayce Rogers (Will take 2-3 more)
Some of the top targets remaining at each position:
WR: Dayton (Oh.) Dunbar wide receiver Joseph Scates and a number of others that you can see on the Hotboard.
ATH: North Versailles (Pa.) East Allegheny athlete TJ Banks
OL: Portsmouth (Oh.) Sciotoville East offensive lineman Blaine Scott, Crozet (Va.) Western Albemarle offensive tackle Luke Tenuta, Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu, Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna College offensive tackle T.J. Bradley, Coffeyville (Kan.) C.C. offensive lineman Reuben Lewis
DL: Fairmont (W.Va.) Fairmont Senior defensive end Dante Stills, Chesapeake (Va.) Western Branch defensive lineman Jalen Alexander
LB: Valdosta (Ga.) linebacker Zakoby McClain, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood linebacker James Miller
S: Aliquippa (Pa.) safety Kwantel Raines, Miami (Okla.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M J.C. safety Lamontre Huval
CB: Loganville (Ga.) cornerback Donte Burton, New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker cornerback Corione Harris, Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison cornerback Marquis Alston, Bluefield (Va.) Graham athlete Taymon Cooke, Brooklyn (N.Y.) ASA College cornerback Jeremy Webb
--On the hoops side, West Virginia has one commitment in the 2018 class in Kaukauna (Wi.) point guard Jordan McCabe but the Mountaineers aren't done. In addition to the situation with Derek Culver likely prepping this year to join the team in 2018, West Virginia is targeting a number of other prospects to add to the group.
--Cleveland (Oh.) Holy Name guard Dwayne Cohill is expected to set an official visit to Morgantown and some people believe that the Mountaineers are the leader here. I think the competition is going to be stiff with his top ten schools and he has already set official visits to Ohio State (9.22) and Virginia Tech (10.20). The Mountaineers have had him on campus before but will need to get an official visit in order to be a major factor before he plans to sign in November.
--Clinton (Md.) Clinton Christian forward Jermaine Harris has West Virginia in his final eight along with Kansas, Miami, Maryland, South Carolina, Xavier, Rhode Island and Southern Utah. He has been to West Virginia several times but is looking at locking in all of his official visits, which the Mountaineers will obviously need to get one here.
--Midwest City (Okla.) guard Keyshawn Embery is down to a top five of West Virginia, Texas A&M, Butler, Arkansas and Arizona State and has already set official visits to all five of those. The schedule will be as follows Arkansas (Aug. 25), Butler (Sept. 9), West Virginia (Sept. 15), Arizona State (Sept. 23) and Arizona State (Sept. 29). Also a four-star guard, West Virginia did not extend an offer until this summer, but the fact he has already set up a visit is a good sign.
--Another prospect that West Virginia sits in the top five for is Irvington (N.J.) Hudson Catholic guard Luther Muhammad along with Ohio State, St. John's, Virginia and Xavier. West Virginia recently offered him but now will need to get him on campus for an official visit. I've been told that his head coach is actually DeSean Butler's old head coach which is an interesting tie.
--Tacoma (Wa.) Wilson forward Emmitt Matthews just received an offer from West Virginia this past week and there is obvious interest between the two parties. Matthews is a close friend of McCabe and his recruitment has started to pick up some major steam of late with others like Georgetown and Connecticut jumping into the picture. Unlike the other two, he is around 6-foot-7, and is a versatile wing that could play multiple spots. I'd watch for a visit here to be set in the near future.
--And if Culver doesn't make it as is widely expected and basically assumed as a lock at this point, what happens to that last 2017 scholarship? At this point I've heard the gamut of what could possibly happen with it possibly going to Jethro Tshisumpa to possibly exploring a graduate transfer, to giving it to Logan Routt or waiting to use in the 2018 cycle. At this point literally none of those options would surprise me with what happens with it.
