West Virginia has highly underachieved since the Neal Brown era began, after the
departure of Dana Holgorsen. When you take the pulse from around the fanbase, many people
believe that Neal Brown is either: A) making the best of a bad situation left by Holgorsen, or B)
not cut out to be a football coach in the Power 5. No matter which side of the argument that you
land on, you must see light at the end of the tunnel with the back-to-back recruiting classes that
the Mountaineers have put together.
West Virginia has long survived college football by finding those diamond in the rough
2- or 3-star athletes, that want to prove their worth. Enter the likes of Tavon Austin, Stedman
Bailey, Gary Jennings, and many others. This has always made the Mountaineers one of those
programs that will get on a roll every three to four years where they win nine or ten games and be in the hunt fora BCS game. The program relied on recruiting classes that primarily stayed for three to four years, before you started to see big time results. Thus, keeping the winningest program in college football
history to not win a National Championship, impatient to find something that makes them a
constant contender. Recruiting is the first step in making Mountaineer Football relevant, year in
and out.
2022 WVU Recruiting Outlook
Enter Neal Brown, and his staff’s ability to bring in top talent for a program that does not
have the beaches, the glam, the championships, or the money to compete with the likes of
Oklahoma and Texas, in their own conference. The 2022 recruiting class for the Mountaineers
ranked as the 35 th best class in the country, and the 2023 class is looking to blow that ranking
away with it currently sitting at 21 st , with 18 committed to the class. The 2022 class is headlined
by 4-star corner Jacoby Spells out of Florida, who is ranked the 213 best recruit, and the future
signal caller of the Mountaineers, four star Nicco Marchiol out of Hamilton High School in
Arizona. The 2022 recruiting class looks to be one of the best in Mountaineer history, with many
playmakers ready to become the next Big 12 highlight reel, and don’t forget the talent coming in
on the defensive side of the ball in Travious Lathan, Christion Stokes, and Lee Kpogba. All three
of those players have an opportunity to play a significant part in the future for Mountaineer
football.
2023 WVU Recruiting Outlook
The 2023 recruiting class got a huge lift when Neal Brown and company was able to land
Athlete Rodney Gallagher, who is a receiver that can not only go and get the ball but shows
tremendous amount of promise with his speed and vision in the open field. Gallagher, who is
also a candidate for high basketball offers out of Pennsylvania, is a player that can move around
the field, and give new play caller Graham Harrell, explosiveness on the perimeter. The defense
is not lacking in this class either, with promising three star, bordering four star signings in DL Justin
Benton, and LB Josiah Trotter. Trotter, the son of former Philadelphia Eagle Hall of Famer,
Jeremiah Trotter brings a tremendous pedigree to a defense that has had tremendous ups and
downs the last couple of years. Justin Benton is a DL out of Georgia that held offers from the
Bulldogs, chose West Virginia because of the scheme fit, and the outlook on getting on the field
early with All-Big 12 DL Dante Stills set for graduation after this fall.
West Virginia will always be a program that will have make do with players that don’t
seem to fit in with the bigger Power Five programs, but that is okay with the way this coaching staff
is recruiting. Will the 2023 recruiting class stay in the Top 25 as the season and recruiting cycle
continues, probably not, as more high valued athletes begin to find their respective homes, but
one thing is certain when looking at this staffs recruiting ability…They have the right swagger to
convince recruits to bring their talents to Morgantown, a place where the weather is more
unpredictable than the stock market, and a place that is not able to offer the same amenities that
other programs can. But, that is okay because this blue collar state, and program is wanting
players that will work just as hard as the population of the state does, and will bring the same
energy on the field as the 60,000 rowdiest fans in the country.
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1 Comment
Awesome!!!!