--West Virginia signed a total of 22 players today, two of which were transfers, and really hit on almost all of their realistic targets that signed today down the stretch outside of one. This class is currently ranked No. 22 nationally which if things didn’t change, and obviously that’s impossible, would be the highest ranked in the history of the Rivals.com era. That’s some impressive stuff especially when you consider that the Mountaineers lost two commitments and cut another one loose at one point. Considering this coaching staff did this on a 17-17 record over the past three years that speaks to how much these coaches can connect with players and the opportunities here with this group if they are able to start winning games at a more consistent clip. I said this would be a top 25 class last year and here we are today with the Mountaineers currently right there at that benchmark.
--The average star ranking in this class, which judges the quality overall, is at 3.11 which would be third all-time in the Rivals.com era. The only classes higher would-be last year at 3.21 and the 2010 class which was at 3.15. Over the last three years, the Mountaineers have had their best stretch since the beginning of this recruiting services at 3.15. The nine years under Holgorsen the classes were an average of 2.87 in that department. That’s elevating recruiting.
--This staff closed well. You’re never, and I don’t care which logo is on your jacket, going to get everybody you want but this staff did a good job getting a lot of them. Down the stretch run, the Mountaineers added seven commitments if you include the two transfers. That run includes a pair of four-stars, a highly productive former Clemson running back and more. The one thing that I love about this class is the players they added late all are coming off significantly productive seasons. Not only where they highly rated but impressed this year on the field. Those are the types you want.
--The class is currently comprised from the following states Florida (3), Pennsylvania (2), Georgia (1), West Virginia (1), Ohio (1), North Carolina (1), Maryland (1), Alabama (1), Michigan (1), Massachusetts (1), Louisiana (1), Mississippi (1), Indiana (1) and Arizona (1). The Mountaineers also have commitments from Germany and Australia. That’s a nice mixture of both traditional hotbeds as well as secondary areas and some new areas with a few of them. This class came from all over.
--Still, even with the superlatives and numbers being thrown around this class isn’t complete. The Mountaineers will need to continue to add at certain spots and now have 10 scholarships to do so. Some of that is going to go to high school players and others will be transfers and you can expect that not all of them are going to be filled by the time the late period rolls around in February either. The spots can change depending on what unfolds but right now I think it’s safe to say that another wide receiver, an offensive tackle, two defensive linemen and some defensive backs are all necessities. Other spots of course could be in play as well but there’s a lot of heavy lifting still to do.
--Credit to this coaching staff for fighting off some aggressive pushes by schools trying to get in late. Considering the rule changes which gave more scholarships to programs, it was a battle to keep some guys in the fold and they did that outside Justin Williams and Zion Young. And truthfully, they weren’t going to win those regardless of what they did no matter how hard that is to hear.
--The list of early enrollees also is important as a lot of these names will be on campus in a few weeks. That list includes Chandler (Az.) Hamilton quarterback
Nicco Marchiol, Ellisville (Miss.) Jones J.C. safety
Hershey McLaurin, Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi C.C. linebacker
Lee Kpogba, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson cornerback
Mumu Bin-Wahad, Saraland (Ala.) wide receiver
Jarel Williams, Clearwater Academy (Fla.) defensive end
Aric Burton, Harper Woods (Mi.) safety
Christian Stokes, Corsicana (Tx.) Navarro J.C. wide receiver
Jeremiah Aaron, Melbourne (Australia) punter
Oliver Straw, Clemson running back transfer Lyn-J Dixon and Cincinnati defensive end transfer Zeiqui Lawton.
--
QB: (1) Let’s look at this class by position. At quarterback, West Virginia hit a home run with Chandler (Az.) Hamilton quarterback
Nicco Marchiol. A four-star prospect that had his choices of places to go, Marchiol is a lefty that throws an accurate ball and also brings a dual threat element. The Mountaineers couldn’t afford not to land a high-profile high school quarterback and Marchiol is exactly that. On paper, which again that’s not everything, Marchiol is the best high school quarterback recruit since Geno Smith. He was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona after tossing for 37 touchdowns and will enroll early. Could they still look at the right fit if a transfer came along? I wouldn’t rule it out at all, but for the future this had to happen and it gives the Mountaineers their first true star there in a while.
--
RB (1): At running back, you would have liked to see the coaches close on one of those high school prospects but I’m not going to complain with adding a guy that put up 1,600 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns at Clemson while finishing second all-time in yards per carry there with 6.6. Lyn-J Dixon brings a different element to that room and it’s especially impressive that he has two years left.
--
WR (2): Felt that there’s no way around it, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard wide receiver
Devaughn Mortimer was the miss today if you’re counting at home. There was some confidence there and he would have been a nice addition as a guy that could play receiver and return kicks. Still, the two that that West Virginia did sign certainly should be able to help. Saraland (Ala.) wide receiver
Jarel Williams is criminally underrated and has a chance to be a very good player as he develops, while Corsicana (Tx.) Navarro J.C. wide receiver
Jeremiah Aaron is one of those players I mentioned above that blew up late with offers also from Louisville and Florida State after a strong season. I think Aaron could help the quickest of the two likely as a returner, but with three years left and a full complement of eligibility for Williams these two should be able to make an impact for several years down the line. This position is one of those that is going to need to continue to add to it.
TE (2): For the sake of this I’m going to call Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep athlete
De'Carlo Donaldson a tight end even though he was athletic enough this past year to return kicks for his high school. Donaldson had over 1,000 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns and is a very versatile athlete that can do a lot of different things for the Mountaineers. I think his signing is one that we’re likely not talking about enough given all he can do and what he brings to the table. I was one that thought Kenova (W.Va.) Spring Valley tight end
Corbin Page was going to grow into an offensive tackle when he committed but his performance at the 7-on-7 this past year really changed my mind. He isn’t a burner at all, but he picks up yards through contact and can make people miss. He’s dropped around 30-pounds and really displays the ability to catch the ball. He is a willing blocker as well and these two make for a great combo for the future with two guys that do a lot of different things. Page is a true tight end, but Donaldson could end up anywhere from a big slot receiver to even h-back.
OL (4): West Virginia needed to get more depth here and the program accomplished that by signing Brookline (Ma.) Dexter offensive lineman
Sully Weidman, Leo (In.) offensive lineman
Landen Livingston, Cleveland Heights (Oh.) offensive lineman
Maurice Hamilton and Wallingford (Ct.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive lineman
Charlie Katarincic. There are some different body types here as well with two of them likely starting on the interior and the other two at tackle (Weidman and Katarincic). I don’t expect any of these guys to play right away, but as you build offensive line depth you need quality players and each of these guys had fantastic senior seasons to go along with certainly looking the part. West Virginia continues to recruit bigger, more athletic lineman than in years past.
DL (3): Really like the three that West Virginia got but it’s not enough. Brown recognized that today and said that West Virginia is going to try to sign at least two more high school prospects which would put the Mountaineers on schedule for where they need to be with the totals. Cincinnati transfer Zeiqui Lawton is exactly the type of transfer you want as a guy that has four years left and a strong attachment to the program. He has added around 35-pounds since high school and will be arriving in January, so the door is going to be open there for him. Clearwater Academy (Fla.) defensive end
Aric Burton is raw right now but has one of the quickest first steps and get offs that I’ve seen in recent years. He has excellent length and as he develops could be a big-time steal for the program, although I don’t think it happens overnight. The pledge of Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill defensive end
Asani Redwood might be one of my favorites in the entire class. Not because of what he is now, but what he could become. Redwood has only been playing for two years but rolled up 19 sacks and 43 tackles for loss playing in the highest classification of Georgia high school football. That doesn’t happen by accident and he is just scratching the surface on what he could become down the line. West Virginia was very aggressive pushing him to sign in December and had he waited until February I believe he would have added a lot more offers. It’s a major win for the program at a position where they needed one.
LB (3): Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi C.C. linebacker
Lee Kpogba brings the experience after playing two years at Syracuse as the first man off the bench and then a standout season at the junior college level. He is an athletic linebacker that plays the game physical. He was impressive out of high school in terms of stature but was really raw when it came to playing the game. He’s got some season now and should be in line to challenge for playing time from the start. Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep linebacker
Travious Lathan would be next up in that department but I do think he’s going to need some time to marinade and improve. Still, he has great size and athleticism overall which is where the Mountaineers desperately needed to upgrade. I saw Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti linebacker
Raleigh Collins in person this summer at camp and left impressed with his versatility. He played everywhere from cornerback to linebacker and if he can keep his speed and athleticism once he adds weight and fills out it will be very intriguing. Collins is going to need work in the weight room but played corner for several years and can run and cover.
S (2): West Virginia wanted to get impressive defensive backs to fill holes at safety and while they didn’t get enough with only 2, man they hit homeruns on the ones that they did. Harper Woods (Mi.) safety
Christian Stokes basically did it all for his team his senior season and is incredibly versatile. He might have an argument to be the most underrated player in this class and really changed my mind this past year after I was admittedly Lukewarm on him. I think he’s the better of the two Michigan safeties they recruited by far and could challenge for time early in his career similar to Saint McLeod this year. I was wondering what I was missing with schools not as active in recruiting Ellisville (Miss.) Jones J.C. safety
Hershey McLaurin until late after watching his film and I’m glad I’m not the only one. Rivals.com gave him a four-star ranking and he certainly looks the part as a coverage safety that handles his own there and isn’t afraid to come down and mix it up in the box. He has three years left and if he doesn’t see the field in some capacity next season I would be incredibly surprised.
CB (3): No offense to any other position group, but this is by far the leader in the clubhouse for me. Rarely does West Virginia waltz into South Florida and pull a kid out of there that Miami is truly pushing for the way that they were able to do with Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage cornerback
Jacolby Spells. He is a physical corner that can do it all and I think he’s criminally underrated here given his skill set. He’s still developing too so his best football is ahead of him. I think the more college ready of the two is Loganville (Ga.) Grayson cornerback
Mumu Bin-Wahad and West Virginia had to fight off some late charges by SEC schools to keep him. Bin-Wahad is flat out impressive and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t make an impact here in the near future. It’s almost hard to believe but considering the quality of the two above Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances cornerback
Tyrin Woodby is often overshadowed. He can play, although he’s going to need to develop, but in most years he’d likely be the best corner in the class for the Mountaineers. That speaks to how much they hit it out of the park here.
P (1): West Virginia needed one and got it with a guy that can kick with both legs, do it a variety of fashions and just plain look cool. What more could you want?
--We’re going to have a whole lot more in the coming days and weeks breaking down the class, the players and what could come next. I wanted to personally thank you all for being members of the site and following along with this no matter how crazy it gets. Again, no surprises this year but I do think that’s a testament to the coverage you get here that you pretty much know what to expect. Is it as fun? No. Would I be doing my job otherwise if you weren’t informed to the best of my ability? No. Again, thank you all and
@Vernon and I greatly appreciate your membership and the fact that you call the Blue Lot home. It’s a little early but Happy Holidays to you all and enjoy a nice close at the mid-way point of this class with some serious talent in some critical spots inside of it. But there's still work that needs to be done and unlike most years there are 10 spots to fill. A lot of recruiting left.
westvirginia.rivals.com
