West Virginia high schools do WVU no QB favors

[Cuyahoga Falls Eers]

Point After lists 40 NFL quarterbacks who were each considered the best QB to play football in their native state.


There are NO West Virginia quarterbacks on the list.


The only WVU quarterbacks among the nine who made it to the NFL and played their high school football in West Virginia – in history! – that I could find were Jim Walthall of Princeton and Fred Wyant of Weston. I couldn’t find Mickey Trimarki’s high school despite a lot of Googling and 43 years of newspaper experience on how to find information. Maybe someone can clue me in on Trimarki's prep history.


That means WVU hasn’t had a QB worthy of the NFL who played high school football in West Virginia in FIFTY NINE YEARS. That, I think, is a serious disadvantage in recruiting for WVU.


The nine Mountaineer quarterbacks to play in the NFL were Jim Walthall (1948), who played high school football in Princeton, West Virginia and went to the Philadelphia Eagles; Weston’s Fred Wyant (1956), who went to the Washington Redskins and was an NFL referee for 27 years; Mickey Trimarki (1958), drafted by the Eagles and played for Canada’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Oliver Luck (1982), who played high school football in Cleveland, drafted by the Houston Oilers; Jeff Hoffstetler (1984), played high school football at Conemaugh in Davidsville, Pennsylvania, drafted by the New York Giants, married to former WVU coach Don Nehlen’s daughter (he has a Morgantown construction company); Major Harris (1990), who played high school football at Pittsburgh Brashear, went to the Oakland Raiders; Marc Bulger (2000), who played high school football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, went to the St. Louis Rams; Pat White (2009), who played high school football for Alabama’s Daphne, went to the Miami Dolphins; and Geno Smith (2013), who played high school football at Miami Miramar and went to the New York Jets.

 

[LowFatMilk]

The 'no shit' post of the day.

Congrats.

 

[hunterspot1]

Point After lists 40 NFL quarterbacks who were each considered the best QB to play football in their native state.


There are NO West Virginia quarterbacks on the list.


The only WVU quarterbacks among the nine who made it to the NFL and played their high school football in West Virginia – in history! – that I could find were Jim Walthall of Princeton and Fred Wyant of Weston. I couldn’t find Mickey Trimarki’s high school despite a lot of Googling and 43 years of newspaper experience on how to find information. Maybe someone can clue me in on Trimarki's prep history.


That means WVU hasn’t had a QB worthy of the NFL who played high school football in West Virginia in FIFTY NINE YEARS. That, I think, is a serious disadvantage in recruiting for WVU.


The nine Mountaineer quarterbacks to play in the NFL were Jim Walthall (1948), who played high school football in Princeton, West Virginia and went to the Philadelphia Eagles; Weston’s Fred Wyant (1956), who went to the Washington Redskins and was an NFL referee for 27 years; Mickey Trimarki (1958), drafted by the Eagles and played for Canada’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats; Oliver Luck (1982), who played high school football in Cleveland, drafted by the Houston Oilers; Jeff Hoffstetler (1984), played high school football at Conemaugh in Davidsville, Pennsylvania, drafted by the New York Giants, married to former WVU coach Don Nehlen’s daughter (he has a Morgantown construction company); Major Harris (1990), who played high school football at Pittsburgh Brashear, went to the Oakland Raiders; Marc Bulger (2000), who played high school football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, went to the St. Louis Rams; Pat White (2009), who played high school football for Alabama’s Daphne, went to the Miami Dolphins; and Geno Smith (2013), who played high school football at Miami Miramar and went to the New York Jets.

I was thinking that Alex Van Pelt, although not a starter did see some playing time at Buffalo. I do know he played at Grafton High School a couple of years.

 

[Cuyahoga Falls Eers]

I was thinking that Alex Van Pelt, although not a starter did see some playing time at Buffalo. I do know he played at Grafton High School a couple of years.

Van Pelt played for Pitt, not WVU.

 

[Darth_VadEER]

The 'no shit' post of the day.

Congrats.

Don't be a jerk.

 

[wvpaper]

whole damn state letting dana down

 

[hunterspot1]

Van Pelt played for Pitt, not WVU.

I knew who he played for. I was just saying that he was a QB from WV who played in the NFL. He wanted to play at WVU but was not offered, and made us pay for it a time or two.

 

[VaultHunter]

I find it hard to believe that there is not at least 1 QB playing every year in West Virginia who could be a starting D-1 Quarterback regardless of what their "recruit ranking" is. There is a hidden gem that only needs a chance, the right coaching and to commit himself to excellence.

They are out there it just takes a coach to find them and give them a shot.

You will probably miss on more than you get right but somewhere right now there is a WV kid who would give his guys to play at WVU and would work as hard as it took to be great.

I think every year WVU should take 1 WV QB either by scholarship or walk on offer. You never know plus it would put a WV kid in the most important position on the field and atleast maybe his love for WV and his commitment to WVU would rub off on the rest of the QBs.

I find it extremely hard to believe that there is never a WV kid playing QB who could come to WVU and be great. Its not like they play by different rules or have one arm or something.

 

[dangerousdaneerfan]

I would have thought that with WVU getting into the Big XII that HS football here would get a shot in the arm. Gayle Manchin and her minions on the state board of education do no favors by forcing school to start a week after HS football practice starts.

 

[doctom4]

Penn State won for 40 years without putting more than a few QBs in the NFL. If your team's any good, it's about more than the QB. Alabama wins all the time without any NFL QB starters.

 

[doctom4]

Chad Johnston spent some time with the Panthers. Darren Studstill played another position for the Cowboys. Jake Kelchner was taken by the Browns, who supposedly liked him but cut him anyway.

 

[doctom4]

WV will have several homegrown QBs, including one at Capital High who is considered a strong likelihood to sign this spring. There may be another at South Charleston arriving in 2017 with a big arm and running ability. There are some 9th grade QBs already drawing attention. This is a non-issue.

 

[.Bodhi.]

WV high schools do no favors for WVU athletics in any sport or any position. WV high schools also do no favors for students who simply want to go to college.

 

[dotfan77]

There isn't a p5 school in the country that has less in state talent to choose from than wvu and it's not close

 

[wbgvwbgv]

There isn't a p5 school in the country that has less in state talent to choose from than wvu and it's not close

Good point. Even thought football players now get the full cost to attend (including trips back home), States with small populations like WV, Utah, Alabama, and Oklahoma are at a disadvantage compared to States like Texas and California. Schools in the small States have to convince players to cross state borders which is sometimes difficult to do.

 

[WiiWii]

You do realize that, not that you had any credibility in the first place, but posting this over and over destroys any that you actually had?