-The recruitment of St. Clairsville (Oh.) linebacker Brendan Ferns was definitely an interesting one. I've never covered a recruitment that high level where the prospect genuinely didn't care about the process in the slightest. The only avenue for information was his father Mike, who did an excellent job keeping me informed throughout the process but as it wore on even he took a step back and let Brendan do his own thing. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson confirmed yesterday what I had heard and informed @Vernon of that Ferns had committed to West Virginia last week but elected not to say anything to avoid the interviews and hoopla that comes with that. Hence, the hints. It is by far the most unique approach I've seen to the process and if information-starved fans weren't so eager to find out every detail of the process, would have been one of my favorites to cover. I've talked to Brendan several times in person and it's almost hard to believe that I've been able to bring you all as up to date information that I can considering that I have not spoken directly with the prospect in over a year.
-I already let this one out of the bag to calm some of the panic at the time but while many other sites had reported various things on the status of Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna C.C. safety Kyzir White following his official visit to USC, I stood firm in the fact that my sources had informed me he would ultimately sign with West Virginia. The ties there were very strong and the West Virginia coaches did a great job on selling him on the fact he can be a standout safety in this scheme. The bright lights of California was definitely a pull and I'd be lying to say there wasn't some nervous moments, but the confidence always remained high in Morgantown.
-Aliquippa (Pa.) athlete Kaezon Pugh was apparently set to commit to West Virginia multiple times but he had academic concerns initially which slowed things on both ends. Pugh was considered a strong West Virginia lean for most of the process, but ultimately elected to make a surprise turn and commit to Pittsburgh. He had been a strong lean as I said even leading into last signing day but when Pittsburgh had indicated that they would take 2015 prospect Arrington Gipson things changed and started to turn. It still appeared as if he would still commit to West Virginia about a week out from his commitment announcement but suddenly things took a big turn in the favor of Pittsburgh ultimately leading to his pledge to the Panthers. Looking back I think that's one of the bigger losses for West Virginia in this class even considering his one-time academic standing.
-At one point and it wasn't too long ago West Virginia was in a very good spot for Coconut Creek (Fla.) wide receiver Binjimen Victor in-fact, his coaches and those close to him had said he was going to come to West Virginia during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl week. The Mountaineers were a big-time dark horse so to speak, but running backs coach JaJuan Seider had positioned them well however that momentum waned and Victor of course would go on to commit and sign with Ohio State. Another example of getting right to the finish line but not crossing it - still Seider has recruiting in that area of Florida absolutely moving in the right direction.
-Another big-time wide receiver that had been very close to pulling the trigger for West Virginia was Nashville (Tn.) Pearl-Cohn wide receiver Rontavius Groves and by close I mean inches. The Mountaineers appeared to be in the driver's seat, until a push from North Carolina made this a two team battle but the confidence was still high he would pick the Mountaineers but we all know how it ultimately turned out.
-One of the top targets early in the recruiting process was Fredericksburg (Va.) Stafford Senior offensive tackle Josh Ball. He admittedly grew up a fan of the program and visited more than half a dozen times but never committed. After a visit to Florida State he pulled the trigger in favor of the Seminoles. But what was the hold up? Ball told several people after his decision at the Rivals Camp that it boiled down to some of the aspects of coaching and the pedigree that Rick Trickett had with developing linemen and putting them in the NFL. From talking with people that also talked to him he was very complimentary about the program but the general feeling was that he didn't really want to go here supporting what I said from the start that it wouldn't be easy to land him at all and he was going to take his time.
-Things came together quickly for West Virginia and Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. running back Justin Crawford. At first it appeared that the Mountaineers would be on the outside looking in as he had his eyes on the SEC but the coaching staff visited him and got a feeling they had a chance. From there, Seider basically "recruited the hell," out of Crawford and sold him on how his skill set was a perfect match for what West Virginia wanted to do. Seider built relationships with his mentor, his head coach, his mother and most people don't know this but Crawford is also married with a kid and he built bonds there too. Getting him on campus was the icing on the cake and he committed during the visit without even telling the coaching staff first because he was so excited. So when there were reports yesterday that West Virginia had to worry about schools coming in there was a lot of confidence that he would stick because of the work Seider had done in building bonds. I can't say it enough recruiting is all about relationships.
-Confidence was high on Bergenfield (N.J.) tight end Jovani Haskins when he made his scheduled announcement last week and for good reason. Every indication was that Haskins was set to be a Mountaineer from his public comments to the fact that he informed the coaches multiple times that "I'm coming." Granted this happens all the time in recruiting but it was absolutely a shock that West Virginia was not the pick.
-During the summer when West Virginia was looking to fill its running back spots, Lexington (N.C.) North Davison running back Kennedy McKoy had already silently committed (yes, it's a very real thing) to the Mountaineers but had informed the coaches he was waiting to announce on July 4. The last spot came down to Detroit (Mi.) Martin Luther King running back Martell Pettaway and Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Inst. Charter running back Tyliek Raynor. Pettaway had told the coaches multiple times he had planned to come but had not announced anything publicly, however, he announced his decision on the day that Raynor was scheduled to visit Morgantown. The coaches got in touch with Raynor to tell him that the spot was filled but its interesting to think what could have been had he ended up making that trip because he had informed us he was ready to commit to the Mountaineers.
-The other top prep running back involved with West Virginia was Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons running back Deon McIntosh and there was a strong push for him to be the third back int eh class and he was HIGHLY interested in the program. But things never worked out there and he went to Notre Dame.
-There's been a lot of talk over Panama City Beach (Fla.) Arnold quarterback Cody Saunders and I can tell you that the West Virginia coaching staff really likes him and thinks he is very underrated. At the time of his commitment the coaches actually pursued him over Columbia (Tn.) Spring Hill quarterback Tylin Oden during the spring.
-Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge Cycoby Burch would have committed to West Virginia throughout much of the process, but the Mountaineers were not interested in taking a commitment there.
-Hats off to Bruce Tall in the recruitment of Dayton (Oh.) Dunbar defensive lineman Jeffery Pooler. West Virginia continued to express interest in him despite his commitment to Maryland and Tall was able to convince him to visit Morgantown without an offer even though Maryland had a policy of pulling scholarship offers from kids that took visits elsewhere. Obviously, West Virginia would go on to offer Pooler and flip his commitment but hats off to the pursuit there.
-McKeesport (Pa.) linebacker Tymar Sutton would have likely been a name that you could have seen in this recruiting class, but during the spring he elected to wait instead of pulling the trigger resulting in the Mountaineers going to look at other options and leaving him without a commitable offer.
-Remember when Perkinston (Miss.) Gulf Coast C.C. defensive back Neiko Robinson took an official visit during the Dec. 11 weekend and declared the Mountaineers as his leader? Well in reality he did commit to the West Virginia coaching staff during his visit but obviously elected to sign with South Alabama.
-I already let this one out of the bag to calm some of the panic at the time but while many other sites had reported various things on the status of Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna C.C. safety Kyzir White following his official visit to USC, I stood firm in the fact that my sources had informed me he would ultimately sign with West Virginia. The ties there were very strong and the West Virginia coaches did a great job on selling him on the fact he can be a standout safety in this scheme. The bright lights of California was definitely a pull and I'd be lying to say there wasn't some nervous moments, but the confidence always remained high in Morgantown.
-Aliquippa (Pa.) athlete Kaezon Pugh was apparently set to commit to West Virginia multiple times but he had academic concerns initially which slowed things on both ends. Pugh was considered a strong West Virginia lean for most of the process, but ultimately elected to make a surprise turn and commit to Pittsburgh. He had been a strong lean as I said even leading into last signing day but when Pittsburgh had indicated that they would take 2015 prospect Arrington Gipson things changed and started to turn. It still appeared as if he would still commit to West Virginia about a week out from his commitment announcement but suddenly things took a big turn in the favor of Pittsburgh ultimately leading to his pledge to the Panthers. Looking back I think that's one of the bigger losses for West Virginia in this class even considering his one-time academic standing.
-At one point and it wasn't too long ago West Virginia was in a very good spot for Coconut Creek (Fla.) wide receiver Binjimen Victor in-fact, his coaches and those close to him had said he was going to come to West Virginia during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl week. The Mountaineers were a big-time dark horse so to speak, but running backs coach JaJuan Seider had positioned them well however that momentum waned and Victor of course would go on to commit and sign with Ohio State. Another example of getting right to the finish line but not crossing it - still Seider has recruiting in that area of Florida absolutely moving in the right direction.
-Another big-time wide receiver that had been very close to pulling the trigger for West Virginia was Nashville (Tn.) Pearl-Cohn wide receiver Rontavius Groves and by close I mean inches. The Mountaineers appeared to be in the driver's seat, until a push from North Carolina made this a two team battle but the confidence was still high he would pick the Mountaineers but we all know how it ultimately turned out.
-One of the top targets early in the recruiting process was Fredericksburg (Va.) Stafford Senior offensive tackle Josh Ball. He admittedly grew up a fan of the program and visited more than half a dozen times but never committed. After a visit to Florida State he pulled the trigger in favor of the Seminoles. But what was the hold up? Ball told several people after his decision at the Rivals Camp that it boiled down to some of the aspects of coaching and the pedigree that Rick Trickett had with developing linemen and putting them in the NFL. From talking with people that also talked to him he was very complimentary about the program but the general feeling was that he didn't really want to go here supporting what I said from the start that it wouldn't be easy to land him at all and he was going to take his time.
-Things came together quickly for West Virginia and Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. running back Justin Crawford. At first it appeared that the Mountaineers would be on the outside looking in as he had his eyes on the SEC but the coaching staff visited him and got a feeling they had a chance. From there, Seider basically "recruited the hell," out of Crawford and sold him on how his skill set was a perfect match for what West Virginia wanted to do. Seider built relationships with his mentor, his head coach, his mother and most people don't know this but Crawford is also married with a kid and he built bonds there too. Getting him on campus was the icing on the cake and he committed during the visit without even telling the coaching staff first because he was so excited. So when there were reports yesterday that West Virginia had to worry about schools coming in there was a lot of confidence that he would stick because of the work Seider had done in building bonds. I can't say it enough recruiting is all about relationships.
-Confidence was high on Bergenfield (N.J.) tight end Jovani Haskins when he made his scheduled announcement last week and for good reason. Every indication was that Haskins was set to be a Mountaineer from his public comments to the fact that he informed the coaches multiple times that "I'm coming." Granted this happens all the time in recruiting but it was absolutely a shock that West Virginia was not the pick.
-During the summer when West Virginia was looking to fill its running back spots, Lexington (N.C.) North Davison running back Kennedy McKoy had already silently committed (yes, it's a very real thing) to the Mountaineers but had informed the coaches he was waiting to announce on July 4. The last spot came down to Detroit (Mi.) Martin Luther King running back Martell Pettaway and Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Inst. Charter running back Tyliek Raynor. Pettaway had told the coaches multiple times he had planned to come but had not announced anything publicly, however, he announced his decision on the day that Raynor was scheduled to visit Morgantown. The coaches got in touch with Raynor to tell him that the spot was filled but its interesting to think what could have been had he ended up making that trip because he had informed us he was ready to commit to the Mountaineers.
-The other top prep running back involved with West Virginia was Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons running back Deon McIntosh and there was a strong push for him to be the third back int eh class and he was HIGHLY interested in the program. But things never worked out there and he went to Notre Dame.
-There's been a lot of talk over Panama City Beach (Fla.) Arnold quarterback Cody Saunders and I can tell you that the West Virginia coaching staff really likes him and thinks he is very underrated. At the time of his commitment the coaches actually pursued him over Columbia (Tn.) Spring Hill quarterback Tylin Oden during the spring.
-Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge Cycoby Burch would have committed to West Virginia throughout much of the process, but the Mountaineers were not interested in taking a commitment there.
-Hats off to Bruce Tall in the recruitment of Dayton (Oh.) Dunbar defensive lineman Jeffery Pooler. West Virginia continued to express interest in him despite his commitment to Maryland and Tall was able to convince him to visit Morgantown without an offer even though Maryland had a policy of pulling scholarship offers from kids that took visits elsewhere. Obviously, West Virginia would go on to offer Pooler and flip his commitment but hats off to the pursuit there.
-McKeesport (Pa.) linebacker Tymar Sutton would have likely been a name that you could have seen in this recruiting class, but during the spring he elected to wait instead of pulling the trigger resulting in the Mountaineers going to look at other options and leaving him without a commitable offer.
-Remember when Perkinston (Miss.) Gulf Coast C.C. defensive back Neiko Robinson took an official visit during the Dec. 11 weekend and declared the Mountaineers as his leader? Well in reality he did commit to the West Virginia coaching staff during his visit but obviously elected to sign with South Alabama.
