--Continue to check this week but as of right now the only two official visitors that I have been able to confirm for this week are Clairton (Pa.) cornerback Lamont Wade and Riverside C.C. (Ca.) wide receiver Dominique Maiden. Obviously, Wade is one of the top prospects on the board and the fact that the Mountaineers are getting an official visit here is a big deal. I continue to hear that West Virginia is hanging around here and while I'll end the suspense and tell you I'd be shocked if he made any decisions this weekend, the Mountaineers could take another step forward. West Virginia is selling Wade on playing cornerback in the most pass happy league and he understands that there is an early opportunity for him to get on the field. Penn State and Pittsburgh continue to be the biggest threats here but getting an official visit will allow the coaches to work this one a little harder. As for Maiden, the junior college wide receiver picked up an offer from West Virginia during the second bye week when wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier stopped in to see him. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound, California native immediately put the Mountaineers near the top of his list and will be making his first visit to campus this coming weekend. Right now, I think it's safe to say that West Virginia is the clear cut favorite here for Maiden and if the visit goes well you could see him end his recruitment. He has three years to play two at the next level and will enroll at the school he selects in December.
--Running backs coach JaJuan Seider and wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier will make a pair of key in-home visits this week starting tonight with a stop in to see Santa Clarita (Ca.) College of the Canyons wide receiver Marquise Brown. The junior college prospect is fresh off an official visit to Morgantown for the Oklahoma game and is one of the top targets on the Mountaineers board. From talking with sources, there is confidence here in West Virginia because of the connection they've made with his mother and the fact that Brown is originally from Florida and is familiar with the success with wide receivers in the program. He has four years to play three at the next level and will be heading to Oklahoma this weekend and USC the following weekend before making his college choice. He will be enrolling at the school he selects in January. After that visit, the two coaches will return to Morgantown for practice before heading back out to see another top prospect in West Virginia commitment Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Mike Harley Thursday night. I know there has been a lot of talk about Miami here but talking with sources as close to the situation as possible as of today I would be very surprised if he doesn't stick with the Mountaineers due to the relationships there.
--Expect the coaching staff to hit the road hard next week and we'll be updating here.
--Next week will be the biggest official visit weekend of 2016 as the Mountaineers will welcome both uncommitted and those prospects enrolling early to campus. Some of the names that have informed me that they plan to be in Morgantown are: Hilliard (Oh.) Hilliard Bradley defensive end Brendan Bordner, Cameron (N.C.) Union Pines defensive end Taijh Alston, Council Bluffs (Ia.) Iowa Western C.C. offensive lineman Blake Yager and Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi C.C. wide receiver Brooks Shannon. I'll be working on adding even more names to the list but right now each of those are very high on the Mountaineers.
--Been checking with the commitments to see which ones plan to enroll early and so far: New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker athlete Tevin Bush, Morgantown (W.Va.) linebacker Maverick Wolfley, Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive end Quondarius Qualls and Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive tackle Jalen Harvey have all informed me they plan to enroll in January to start their careers at West Virginia.
--Hilliard (Oh.) Hilliard Bradley defensive end Brendan Bordner is now down to three schools in West Virginia, Rutgers and Navy. He is taking an official visit to Rutgers this weekend and then the aforementioned official visit to West Virginia Dec. 9. Defensive line coach Bruce Tall will visit Bordner Thursday this week and then stop in to see him Tuesday. He will make his college decision after his official visit to West Virginia and is a January enrollee.
--Council Bluffs (Ia.) Iowa Western C.C. offensive lineman Blake Yager has taken official visits to Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina and Texas State and this weekend he will be deciding whether to visit East Carolina or New Mexico. Next weekend he will visit West Virginia and while he is committed to Cincinnati, the Mountaineers could snag the early enrollee's commitment with a good visit. Like Brown, he will have four years to play three which is big especially for a lineman. Yager is a December enrollee which also is a plus. Head coach Dana Holgorsen will be coming to see Yager next week and offensive line coach Ron Crook will be going to meet with his parents.
--As I reported earlier this month I continue to hear that West Virginia has turned it's attention to recruiting junior college wide receivers in this class. If the Mountaineers do miss out on Brown, there is still Maiden, Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi C.C. wide receiver Brooks Shannon, Milledgeville (Ga.) Georgia Military College wide receiver Isaac Zico and Athens (Tx.) Trinity Valley C.C. wide receiver Jaylen Guyton on the list and several others will likely emerge.
--I also mentioned this a few weeks ago but where does this leave Deerfield Beach (Fla.) wide receiver Leroy Henley? Well, at this point I've been told he is in a holding pattern but he is a high school prospect that could eventually get back into the picture. Things shifted quickly here because in August he was expected to commit to the Mountaineers, however, the coaching staff has elected to put a stronger focus on recruiting at the junior college level at the position.
--Things have gotten a little more interesting in the recruitment of Garden City C.C. (Kan.) cornerback Lonnie Johnson. He released a top three of West Virginia, Memphis and Toledo and the Mountaineers were in the clear driver's seat after his official visit for the Oklahoma game. But Kentucky has now offered and he will be going there this weekend on an official visit before closing with an official visit to Memphis Dec. 9. The Mountaineers are still in a good spot here as Johnson understands there is an opportunity for early playing time but there is now some more intrigue than before as Kentucky has been making a strong push in recent weeks. Georgia also has been showing strong interest and visited him today at his school.
--A lot of you have asked me about the quarterback position in this class and at last check I was told that the coaching staff currently doesn't know if one will be in this group. The top target and the only name I've heard is Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades Central quarterback James Blackman but as you all know he is currently committed to Florida State and that one will be tough. Still, the Mountaineers haven't given up here and visited him a couple weeks ago for a game and are holding out to receive an official visit from him as well. That one is wait and see.
--I've heard that Thatcher (Az.) Eastern Arizona J.C. defensive tackle Walter Palmore has some work to do academically, but West Virginia is in the mix there still. He has an offcial visit set to Missour but the Mountainers are recruiting him "harder than most," schools.
--Hialeah Gardens (Fla.) Mater Academy cornerback Latavious Brini isn't going to be officially visiting West Virginia this coming weekend but he is a prospect to potentially pile away for a future trip if the Mountaineers elect to. Brini was originally committed to Georgia but backed off that pledge and from what I've heard several schools have backed off. So this one is in a holding pattern for now but a name to file away just in case.
--Atlanta (Ga.) Stockbridge defensive end Kelton Dawson is a prospect that is very interested in West Virginia but at the moment he is in a holding pattern of sorts as the Mountaineers look to fill out the class. Right now, there are others ahead of him.
--Running backs coach JaJuan Seider and wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier will make a pair of key in-home visits this week starting tonight with a stop in to see Santa Clarita (Ca.) College of the Canyons wide receiver Marquise Brown. The junior college prospect is fresh off an official visit to Morgantown for the Oklahoma game and is one of the top targets on the Mountaineers board. From talking with sources, there is confidence here in West Virginia because of the connection they've made with his mother and the fact that Brown is originally from Florida and is familiar with the success with wide receivers in the program. He has four years to play three at the next level and will be heading to Oklahoma this weekend and USC the following weekend before making his college choice. He will be enrolling at the school he selects in January. After that visit, the two coaches will return to Morgantown for practice before heading back out to see another top prospect in West Virginia commitment Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Mike Harley Thursday night. I know there has been a lot of talk about Miami here but talking with sources as close to the situation as possible as of today I would be very surprised if he doesn't stick with the Mountaineers due to the relationships there.
--Expect the coaching staff to hit the road hard next week and we'll be updating here.
--Next week will be the biggest official visit weekend of 2016 as the Mountaineers will welcome both uncommitted and those prospects enrolling early to campus. Some of the names that have informed me that they plan to be in Morgantown are: Hilliard (Oh.) Hilliard Bradley defensive end Brendan Bordner, Cameron (N.C.) Union Pines defensive end Taijh Alston, Council Bluffs (Ia.) Iowa Western C.C. offensive lineman Blake Yager and Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi C.C. wide receiver Brooks Shannon. I'll be working on adding even more names to the list but right now each of those are very high on the Mountaineers.
--Been checking with the commitments to see which ones plan to enroll early and so far: New Orleans (La.) Landry-Walker athlete Tevin Bush, Morgantown (W.Va.) linebacker Maverick Wolfley, Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive end Quondarius Qualls and Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive tackle Jalen Harvey have all informed me they plan to enroll in January to start their careers at West Virginia.
--Hilliard (Oh.) Hilliard Bradley defensive end Brendan Bordner is now down to three schools in West Virginia, Rutgers and Navy. He is taking an official visit to Rutgers this weekend and then the aforementioned official visit to West Virginia Dec. 9. Defensive line coach Bruce Tall will visit Bordner Thursday this week and then stop in to see him Tuesday. He will make his college decision after his official visit to West Virginia and is a January enrollee.
--Council Bluffs (Ia.) Iowa Western C.C. offensive lineman Blake Yager has taken official visits to Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina and Texas State and this weekend he will be deciding whether to visit East Carolina or New Mexico. Next weekend he will visit West Virginia and while he is committed to Cincinnati, the Mountaineers could snag the early enrollee's commitment with a good visit. Like Brown, he will have four years to play three which is big especially for a lineman. Yager is a December enrollee which also is a plus. Head coach Dana Holgorsen will be coming to see Yager next week and offensive line coach Ron Crook will be going to meet with his parents.
--As I reported earlier this month I continue to hear that West Virginia has turned it's attention to recruiting junior college wide receivers in this class. If the Mountaineers do miss out on Brown, there is still Maiden, Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi C.C. wide receiver Brooks Shannon, Milledgeville (Ga.) Georgia Military College wide receiver Isaac Zico and Athens (Tx.) Trinity Valley C.C. wide receiver Jaylen Guyton on the list and several others will likely emerge.
--I also mentioned this a few weeks ago but where does this leave Deerfield Beach (Fla.) wide receiver Leroy Henley? Well, at this point I've been told he is in a holding pattern but he is a high school prospect that could eventually get back into the picture. Things shifted quickly here because in August he was expected to commit to the Mountaineers, however, the coaching staff has elected to put a stronger focus on recruiting at the junior college level at the position.
--Things have gotten a little more interesting in the recruitment of Garden City C.C. (Kan.) cornerback Lonnie Johnson. He released a top three of West Virginia, Memphis and Toledo and the Mountaineers were in the clear driver's seat after his official visit for the Oklahoma game. But Kentucky has now offered and he will be going there this weekend on an official visit before closing with an official visit to Memphis Dec. 9. The Mountaineers are still in a good spot here as Johnson understands there is an opportunity for early playing time but there is now some more intrigue than before as Kentucky has been making a strong push in recent weeks. Georgia also has been showing strong interest and visited him today at his school.
--A lot of you have asked me about the quarterback position in this class and at last check I was told that the coaching staff currently doesn't know if one will be in this group. The top target and the only name I've heard is Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades Central quarterback James Blackman but as you all know he is currently committed to Florida State and that one will be tough. Still, the Mountaineers haven't given up here and visited him a couple weeks ago for a game and are holding out to receive an official visit from him as well. That one is wait and see.
--I've heard that Thatcher (Az.) Eastern Arizona J.C. defensive tackle Walter Palmore has some work to do academically, but West Virginia is in the mix there still. He has an offcial visit set to Missour but the Mountainers are recruiting him "harder than most," schools.
--Hialeah Gardens (Fla.) Mater Academy cornerback Latavious Brini isn't going to be officially visiting West Virginia this coming weekend but he is a prospect to potentially pile away for a future trip if the Mountaineers elect to. Brini was originally committed to Georgia but backed off that pledge and from what I've heard several schools have backed off. So this one is in a holding pattern for now but a name to file away just in case.
--Atlanta (Ga.) Stockbridge defensive end Kelton Dawson is a prospect that is very interested in West Virginia but at the moment he is in a holding pattern of sorts as the Mountaineers look to fill out the class. Right now, there are others ahead of him.
