--More than most this was a pretty cut and dry recruiting class. There were a few surprises and shifts, but most of the work was done early and the Mountaineers were able to get most of their top targets committed and keep them in the fold early. Of course, there was some positive movement down the stretch but most of that work was done well in advance. We'll look behind the curtain at all the positions for some insight into what unfolded.
--First of all I want to point out that the early portion of this class and even into the summer was made much more difficult due to the uncertainty around the status of the coaching staff. It's something rival schools were shouting from the rooftops and it definitely hurt them on some key players that elected to go elsewhere. I can't begin to tell you how much winning eight games this season is going to help in that department moving forward. So much of the recruiting process is done early and uncertainty just makes it that much harder.
--Let's go ahead and get this out of the way when it comes to the decommitments in this class, West Virginia made the decision on all of them other than Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas 2024 cornerback Romanas Frederique. The coaching staff had to move on from some of the others due to various reasons but mostly when it comes to how they had performed during their senior season and the lack of development for what they wanted to see. Frederique on the other hand basically got an offer from Miami and made a secret visit right after he committed before flipping. You just aren't going to win many battles if a kid doesn't want to be here.
QB: Make no mistake about it, Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's 2024 quarterback Samaj Jones was the initial top target here. Jones visited a bunch, said all the right things and it seemed as if the Mountaineers would indeed get his commitment for the longest time. But it didn't happen in the spring and then didn't happen after he took an official visit. The biggest concern from Jones end was the stability of the coaching staff given they were coming off a 5-7 season and opposing teams were really laying this on thick. Still, West Virginia was going to wait it out and see what occurred until Upper Marlboro (Md.) Wise 2024 quarterback Khalil Wilkins came on the radar. Co-defensive coordinator ShaDon Brown knew about him first and once Sean Reagan was able to see him in person that sped up the process between the two very quickly. Wilkins came to camp and put on a show, but it was the 7-on-7 performance where he threw the ball better than most of the quarterbacks I've seen over my years that sealed the deal. From that point forward even with Jones a possibility, Wilkins became the focus. This wasn't a situation where West Virginia was settling on an option further down the board Wilkins truly earned this opportunity with how well he threw the football. I was told by somebody that if Wilkins had been at Wise the entire time instead of playing for a small school off the radar he would have had 30+ offers and if plays like he did in camp I won't argue there.
RB: West Virginia came into the class thinking they'd take at least one, but knew that two was always going to be a possibility. Milledgeville (Ga.) Baldwin 2024 running back Micah Welch was a name that was high on the board early and after a junior day stop the belief was that the Mountaineers were the front runners. He took an official visit to Morgantown in June but those hopes were dashed when he visited Colorado and selected the Buffaloes. The good news is there wasn't really a pivot because West Virginia had been preparing to possibly take two all along and Gahanna (Oh.) Lincoln 2024 running back Diore Hubbard was one that running backs coach Chad Scott liked a lot. It was touch and go after his visit, but West Virginia was the favorite here and got the job done. At first, West Virginia was content with just one in the class but with the departure of Justin Johnson and the lingering uncertainty with the transfer portal always looming, the Mountaineers made the decision to take another in Aiken (S.C.) Midland Valley 2024 running back Traevon Dunbar. Dunbar wasn't a new name, as West Virginia offered last January and had him on campus so that connection was already established. When Scott came back to Dubar, it didn't take long to get the visit set up and it was a mere formality for his commitment. He picked the Mountaineers on his visit and kept it under wraps until signing day. Dunbar rushed for over 2,000 yards as a senior and his production was impossible to ignore. Scott has done a good job finding backs that not only stick out on him but are productive at the high school level and both of these are in that category, too.
WR: With or without Samaj Jones, Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's 2024 wide receiver Brandon Rehmann was always one of the top targets for West Virginia in this class. The Mountaineers made inroads there early and never let up leading to an early commitment after his official visit and he never wavered. Jefferson (W.Va.) 2024 athlete Keyshawn Robinson earned his offer at camp by not only running well but dominating in competition. He has a lot of upside moving forward and I think is going to be a good player here. Now, the story with Melbourne (Fla.) Central Catholic 2024 wide receiver Ric'Darious Farmer is one that goes back to his freshmen year. Chad Scott was the first coach to offer him, but West Virginia didn't pursue as hard early because the former wide receivers coach liked some other guys so he committed to Pittsburgh. That changed drastically when Bilal Marshall got the job and West Virginia made a very strong push which was helped by those long-term connections that Scott had established. The Mountaineers were able to get him on campus June 9 and the feeling coming out of that was that Farmer was going to flip but it was unclear where that would be. Turns out it wouldn't be West Virginia the first time around and instead he committed to UCF. Still, the coaching staff never let up and I do think even Farmer felt that West Virginia was a better fit for him. After coming back up for that unofficial visit Dec. 8, the coaches had to battle down the stretch but felt confident they had done enough to get his pledge. That formally happened on signing day giving West Virginia one of the speed guys they craved in this class. I'm not usually surprised in recruiting but the case of Princeton (W.Va.) 2024 wide receiver Dominick Collins definitely would qualify there. Collins ran a blazing fast 40-time this summer but still needed work as a wide receiver, so the Mountaineers didn't offer. However, after a dominant senior season the coaches pulled the trigger on him and he signed on the first day of the early period. I've always said if you're going to take chances, do it with kids with upside and with his speed he's got it. West Virginia was always going to be patient when it came to filling the slots in this class and that paid off. There were a couple names thrown around in the fall, but if you asked anybody they would be thrilled back in May if you told them this would be the group. Now, one player that West Virginia felt they had a good shot with but it never materialized was Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township 2024 wide receiver Jaylan Hornsby. He left the visit with West Virginia in his top group but a few days later had basically eliminated them without much warning.
TE: No drama here. Cincinnati (Oh.) Walnut Hills 2024 tight end Jack Sammarco was an early target that made multiple visits and once he got the offer it was basically a done deal.
OL: Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2024 offensive lineman Kyle Altuner didn't just attend camp at West Virginia, he dominated. Truthfully early on I worried if he had gotten too much attention from other schools, but West Virginia did an excellent job here and the early connections paid off. He is one of the most important pieces in this class for a lot of reasons. Having him in the fold early gave Matt Moore some options as well and he took his time sorting them out. Pickerington (Oh.) Pickerington Central 2024 offensive lineman Justin Terry visited campus and once he got his stuff in order the Mountaineers made the move to jump on him. He is a massive human being and the coaches believe he has a mountain of potential. Sterling (Il.) 2024 offensive lineman Lucas Austin had been on the radar for West Virginia since the spring, but his development over his senior season is what truly led to the program offering. Moore did a great job here and it led to an official visit and commitment a few days later. The Mountaineers wanted to add at least two more tackle body types before Austin committed and the other was planned to be Huntington (W.Va.) 2024 offensive lineman Robby Martin. It was an on again, off again deal throughout but the Mountaineers made a late push after he committed to N.C. State. It was unsuccessful though as Martin elected to stay with the Wolfpack and if I'm a betting man that's the player Neal was referring to that he talked to the night before signing day that went elsewhere. West Virginia did strike out quite a bit here early on but that's going to happen when you're targeting some really good players.
DL: Upper Marlboro (Md.) Flowers 2024 defensive end Obinna Onwuka had the same effect on the defensive side that Altuner did on offense. Significant commitment early on that helped lure others into the class and stuck with it. The only drama here is that almost all of these guys committed well before they made it public as Midlothian (Va.) Manchester 2024 defensive end Makai Byerson and Auburndale (Fla.) 2024 defensive lineman Nate Gabriel were both committed for a few weeks before announcing. We don't talk about Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic 2024 defensive end Elijah Kinsler enough because he has a chance to be special up front and had some schools pushing for him late.
LB: It was always going to be tough to beat Pitt for Aliquippa (Pa.) 2024 outside linebacker Cameron Lindsey but West Virginia gave their best effort there. It was legitimately down to just those two and after the official visit there was a glimmer of hope they could pull it off. Still, the ties were too much to overcome. The Mountaineers also felt they had a good shot at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas 2024 linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez following his official visit but he ended up committing to Missouri. Akron (Oh.) Hoban 2024 linebacker Rickey Williams was a player that West Virginia fell in love with early as he made the switch from offense to defense and put together a monster junior season. The Mountaineers recruited him very hard, led by Jeff Koonz, and that one was basically done by the time he took his official visit. Barboursville (W.Va.) Cabell Midland 2024 linebacker Curtis Jones is another that earned his offer. He has a great frame, excellent length and long arms and ran a very good 40 time at camp this past summer. The Mountaineers were really impressed and it led to a scholarship offer. N.C. State was making a push here as well, but West Virginia was able to keep him home and he has a very bright future on defense if he develops. Speaking of N.C. State during the summer, West Virginia made a stealthy push for Cabell Midland linebacker Cannon Lewis after he really impressed at the 7-on-7, but that wasn't successful.
DB: Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County 2024 safety Israel Boyce, Dunnellon (Fla.) 2024 athlete Chris Henry, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Bishop Canevin 2024 safety Jason Cross and Cincinnati (Oh.) Colerain 2024 athlete Zae Jennings all had pretty similar stories. West Virginia offered at different stages, but the coaches made them a priority and they committed after visiting. Jennings especially is one that could end up being special in the future. As for Waldorf (Md.) St. Charles 2024 defensive back Keyon Washington, he earned his offer with a dominant camp showing. He just competed so hard and displayed the ability to play man coverage against some talented wide receivers. As soon as he got the clear, he committed. The one player that West Virginia missed on that at one point there was confidence on was Springdale (Md.) Flowers 2024 cornerback Lloyd Irvin. But you won't win them all.
--West Virginia hosted a lot of official visitors this year and some of that was to simply get some kids on campus. Some of those official visitors couldn't commit but they were players that the Mountaineers were going to monitor throughout the season and see where it developed.
--First of all I want to point out that the early portion of this class and even into the summer was made much more difficult due to the uncertainty around the status of the coaching staff. It's something rival schools were shouting from the rooftops and it definitely hurt them on some key players that elected to go elsewhere. I can't begin to tell you how much winning eight games this season is going to help in that department moving forward. So much of the recruiting process is done early and uncertainty just makes it that much harder.
--Let's go ahead and get this out of the way when it comes to the decommitments in this class, West Virginia made the decision on all of them other than Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas 2024 cornerback Romanas Frederique. The coaching staff had to move on from some of the others due to various reasons but mostly when it comes to how they had performed during their senior season and the lack of development for what they wanted to see. Frederique on the other hand basically got an offer from Miami and made a secret visit right after he committed before flipping. You just aren't going to win many battles if a kid doesn't want to be here.
QB: Make no mistake about it, Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's 2024 quarterback Samaj Jones was the initial top target here. Jones visited a bunch, said all the right things and it seemed as if the Mountaineers would indeed get his commitment for the longest time. But it didn't happen in the spring and then didn't happen after he took an official visit. The biggest concern from Jones end was the stability of the coaching staff given they were coming off a 5-7 season and opposing teams were really laying this on thick. Still, West Virginia was going to wait it out and see what occurred until Upper Marlboro (Md.) Wise 2024 quarterback Khalil Wilkins came on the radar. Co-defensive coordinator ShaDon Brown knew about him first and once Sean Reagan was able to see him in person that sped up the process between the two very quickly. Wilkins came to camp and put on a show, but it was the 7-on-7 performance where he threw the ball better than most of the quarterbacks I've seen over my years that sealed the deal. From that point forward even with Jones a possibility, Wilkins became the focus. This wasn't a situation where West Virginia was settling on an option further down the board Wilkins truly earned this opportunity with how well he threw the football. I was told by somebody that if Wilkins had been at Wise the entire time instead of playing for a small school off the radar he would have had 30+ offers and if plays like he did in camp I won't argue there.
RB: West Virginia came into the class thinking they'd take at least one, but knew that two was always going to be a possibility. Milledgeville (Ga.) Baldwin 2024 running back Micah Welch was a name that was high on the board early and after a junior day stop the belief was that the Mountaineers were the front runners. He took an official visit to Morgantown in June but those hopes were dashed when he visited Colorado and selected the Buffaloes. The good news is there wasn't really a pivot because West Virginia had been preparing to possibly take two all along and Gahanna (Oh.) Lincoln 2024 running back Diore Hubbard was one that running backs coach Chad Scott liked a lot. It was touch and go after his visit, but West Virginia was the favorite here and got the job done. At first, West Virginia was content with just one in the class but with the departure of Justin Johnson and the lingering uncertainty with the transfer portal always looming, the Mountaineers made the decision to take another in Aiken (S.C.) Midland Valley 2024 running back Traevon Dunbar. Dunbar wasn't a new name, as West Virginia offered last January and had him on campus so that connection was already established. When Scott came back to Dubar, it didn't take long to get the visit set up and it was a mere formality for his commitment. He picked the Mountaineers on his visit and kept it under wraps until signing day. Dunbar rushed for over 2,000 yards as a senior and his production was impossible to ignore. Scott has done a good job finding backs that not only stick out on him but are productive at the high school level and both of these are in that category, too.
WR: With or without Samaj Jones, Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's 2024 wide receiver Brandon Rehmann was always one of the top targets for West Virginia in this class. The Mountaineers made inroads there early and never let up leading to an early commitment after his official visit and he never wavered. Jefferson (W.Va.) 2024 athlete Keyshawn Robinson earned his offer at camp by not only running well but dominating in competition. He has a lot of upside moving forward and I think is going to be a good player here. Now, the story with Melbourne (Fla.) Central Catholic 2024 wide receiver Ric'Darious Farmer is one that goes back to his freshmen year. Chad Scott was the first coach to offer him, but West Virginia didn't pursue as hard early because the former wide receivers coach liked some other guys so he committed to Pittsburgh. That changed drastically when Bilal Marshall got the job and West Virginia made a very strong push which was helped by those long-term connections that Scott had established. The Mountaineers were able to get him on campus June 9 and the feeling coming out of that was that Farmer was going to flip but it was unclear where that would be. Turns out it wouldn't be West Virginia the first time around and instead he committed to UCF. Still, the coaching staff never let up and I do think even Farmer felt that West Virginia was a better fit for him. After coming back up for that unofficial visit Dec. 8, the coaches had to battle down the stretch but felt confident they had done enough to get his pledge. That formally happened on signing day giving West Virginia one of the speed guys they craved in this class. I'm not usually surprised in recruiting but the case of Princeton (W.Va.) 2024 wide receiver Dominick Collins definitely would qualify there. Collins ran a blazing fast 40-time this summer but still needed work as a wide receiver, so the Mountaineers didn't offer. However, after a dominant senior season the coaches pulled the trigger on him and he signed on the first day of the early period. I've always said if you're going to take chances, do it with kids with upside and with his speed he's got it. West Virginia was always going to be patient when it came to filling the slots in this class and that paid off. There were a couple names thrown around in the fall, but if you asked anybody they would be thrilled back in May if you told them this would be the group. Now, one player that West Virginia felt they had a good shot with but it never materialized was Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township 2024 wide receiver Jaylan Hornsby. He left the visit with West Virginia in his top group but a few days later had basically eliminated them without much warning.
TE: No drama here. Cincinnati (Oh.) Walnut Hills 2024 tight end Jack Sammarco was an early target that made multiple visits and once he got the offer it was basically a done deal.
OL: Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2024 offensive lineman Kyle Altuner didn't just attend camp at West Virginia, he dominated. Truthfully early on I worried if he had gotten too much attention from other schools, but West Virginia did an excellent job here and the early connections paid off. He is one of the most important pieces in this class for a lot of reasons. Having him in the fold early gave Matt Moore some options as well and he took his time sorting them out. Pickerington (Oh.) Pickerington Central 2024 offensive lineman Justin Terry visited campus and once he got his stuff in order the Mountaineers made the move to jump on him. He is a massive human being and the coaches believe he has a mountain of potential. Sterling (Il.) 2024 offensive lineman Lucas Austin had been on the radar for West Virginia since the spring, but his development over his senior season is what truly led to the program offering. Moore did a great job here and it led to an official visit and commitment a few days later. The Mountaineers wanted to add at least two more tackle body types before Austin committed and the other was planned to be Huntington (W.Va.) 2024 offensive lineman Robby Martin. It was an on again, off again deal throughout but the Mountaineers made a late push after he committed to N.C. State. It was unsuccessful though as Martin elected to stay with the Wolfpack and if I'm a betting man that's the player Neal was referring to that he talked to the night before signing day that went elsewhere. West Virginia did strike out quite a bit here early on but that's going to happen when you're targeting some really good players.
DL: Upper Marlboro (Md.) Flowers 2024 defensive end Obinna Onwuka had the same effect on the defensive side that Altuner did on offense. Significant commitment early on that helped lure others into the class and stuck with it. The only drama here is that almost all of these guys committed well before they made it public as Midlothian (Va.) Manchester 2024 defensive end Makai Byerson and Auburndale (Fla.) 2024 defensive lineman Nate Gabriel were both committed for a few weeks before announcing. We don't talk about Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic 2024 defensive end Elijah Kinsler enough because he has a chance to be special up front and had some schools pushing for him late.
LB: It was always going to be tough to beat Pitt for Aliquippa (Pa.) 2024 outside linebacker Cameron Lindsey but West Virginia gave their best effort there. It was legitimately down to just those two and after the official visit there was a glimmer of hope they could pull it off. Still, the ties were too much to overcome. The Mountaineers also felt they had a good shot at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas 2024 linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez following his official visit but he ended up committing to Missouri. Akron (Oh.) Hoban 2024 linebacker Rickey Williams was a player that West Virginia fell in love with early as he made the switch from offense to defense and put together a monster junior season. The Mountaineers recruited him very hard, led by Jeff Koonz, and that one was basically done by the time he took his official visit. Barboursville (W.Va.) Cabell Midland 2024 linebacker Curtis Jones is another that earned his offer. He has a great frame, excellent length and long arms and ran a very good 40 time at camp this past summer. The Mountaineers were really impressed and it led to a scholarship offer. N.C. State was making a push here as well, but West Virginia was able to keep him home and he has a very bright future on defense if he develops. Speaking of N.C. State during the summer, West Virginia made a stealthy push for Cabell Midland linebacker Cannon Lewis after he really impressed at the 7-on-7, but that wasn't successful.
DB: Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County 2024 safety Israel Boyce, Dunnellon (Fla.) 2024 athlete Chris Henry, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Bishop Canevin 2024 safety Jason Cross and Cincinnati (Oh.) Colerain 2024 athlete Zae Jennings all had pretty similar stories. West Virginia offered at different stages, but the coaches made them a priority and they committed after visiting. Jennings especially is one that could end up being special in the future. As for Waldorf (Md.) St. Charles 2024 defensive back Keyon Washington, he earned his offer with a dominant camp showing. He just competed so hard and displayed the ability to play man coverage against some talented wide receivers. As soon as he got the clear, he committed. The one player that West Virginia missed on that at one point there was confidence on was Springdale (Md.) Flowers 2024 cornerback Lloyd Irvin. But you won't win them all.
--West Virginia hosted a lot of official visitors this year and some of that was to simply get some kids on campus. Some of those official visitors couldn't commit but they were players that the Mountaineers were going to monitor throughout the season and see where it developed.
