Booms, Busts, & Clunkers of the 2016 Recruiting Class
BOOMS - Players that either lived up to or exceeded expectations and played a big role in WVU's success
RB Justin Crawford (JUCO)
We'll leave the off-the-field stuff for another day but Crawford was a big piece to the Mountaineers' rushing attack for two years. He had back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons and ran for 331 yards in a loss to Oklahoma.
RB Martell Pettaway
Pettaway had an odd start to his career. He was expected to sit out his first season at WVU in order to redshirt but due to a banged-up backfield, Dana Holgorsen pulled the redshirt off of him and inserted him into the lineup late in the year against Iowa State. Keep in mind, this was before the four-game redshirt rule was put into place. Pettaway ran for 181 yards and a touchdown in his Mountaineer debut vs Iowa State. He had a sophomore slump in 2017 rushing for just 149 yards (3.5 per carry) but rebounded nicely in 2018 by going for 623 yards and six touchdowns. Leddie Brown beat him out for the starting job in 2019 which ultimately led to his transfer to Middle Tennessee.
RB Kennedy McKoy
McKoy split time in the backfield with the two guys listed above but had a niche for getting into the end zone. He combined for 25 touchdowns (22 rushing) throughout his career and totaled 2,720 all-purpose yards.
WR Marcus Simms
Simms was a terrific complementary receiver to David Sills V and Gary Jennings. WVU could always count on Simms to hit the big ball as he averaged 16.7 yards per catch. He was a perfect fit in the Holgorsen system but once the new coaching regime was ushered in, Simms opted to transfer out. He eventually decided to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft which is held for players who for various reasons had their college eligibility affected and did not enter the regular spring draft. He spent some time with the Jacksonville Jaguars but didn't stick on the roster.
TE Trevon Wesco (JUCO)
In the first 23 games of Wesco's career, he only caught two passes for seven yards and one touchdown. However, he developed into a very reliable receiving option for QB Will Grier in 2018 and reeled in 26 receptions for 366 yards and one score. He landed on the All-Big 12 First-Team at season's end.
OL Chase Behrndt
Behrndt played in 33 career games and made 22 starts. He started at center his senior year but played both guard spots prior to that. After the 2020 season, Behrndt was named All-Big 12 Conference Fourth Team (Phil Steele) and All-Big 12 Conference Honorable Mention (Coaches).
OL Josh Sills
It didn't take long before Sills became one of West Virginia's best offensive linemen. He started two games as a redshirt freshman then started all 12 games in 2018 and was named All-Big 12 Second Team Selection (Coaches). Unfortunately, his junior season was derailed after a right shoulder injury. He then decided to transfer out of the program to Big 12 foe Oklahoma State. Sills started every game this past season for the Cowboys and was named 2020 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches) and 2020 First Team All-Big 12 (AP).
LB Dylan Tonkery
The Bridgeport, WV native started 25 games in his WVU career and was a staple of the Mountaineer defense. He misses six games in 2018 due to injury but bounced back and finished his career strong. Tonkery was an unselfish player that played multiple positions including MIKE, WILL, and Bandit. He may not have been the most athletic player on the Mountaineer defense but that didn't hold him back. Tonkery ended his career with 120 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.
CB Sean Mahone
Early in his career, Mahone was buried on the defensive depth chart and saw most of his time on special teams. However, once the new coaching staff came to Morgantown, Mahone emerged as a playmaker and led the Mountaineers in tackles in 2019 (80). He followed that up with 54 tackles and one interception in a 10-game season this past fall. He elected to return to WVU for 2021, exercising the extra year of eligibility that the NCAA granted all players.
S Kyzir White (JUCO)
Kyzir was the third and final White brother to come to WVU and boy did he produce at a high level. He was solid in pass coverage but even better against the run and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. He was the team's 2nd leading tackler in 2017 (95 tackles) and also recorded 7.5 tackles for loss, and three interceptions. You could put his career right up there with that of Karl Joseph's. Just imagine if Kyzir White played four years at WVU.
S Toyous Avery (JUCO)
The three-year JUCO defensive back had a big impact on the Mountaineers. He may not have been the most important piece to the WVU defense but he was a "glue guy". In his senior season, Avery totaled 442 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one sack.
S JoVanni Stewart
The first couple of years, Stewart was a special teamer and a depth player in the WVU secondary. With multiple injuries at linebacker in 2018, defensive coordinator Tony Gibson moved him to linebacker, and the move paid off. He tallied 53 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. Midway through the 2019 season, Stewart left the team and transferred to Houston to play near his hometown of Katy, Texas, and reunite with former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen.
BUSTS - Never made a big impact or left the team without ever seeing playing time
WR Steven Smothers
The hype was real for Smothers coming out of high school. He was close with Tavon Austin and even resembled his style of play on the field. He had some academic issues early on and decided to leave the program as a redshirt freshman. Smothers finally landed at Memphis in 2019 then transferred to Division III Stevenson University.
LB Adam Hensley
Hensley appeared in 34 career games and made five tackles. He saw the majority of his playing time on special teams or in mop-up duty.
LB Logan Thimons
Thimons came to West Virginia as a linebacker but was converted over to the offensive side of the ball to play fullback. He was primarily a special teams player.
LB Zach Sandwisch
To continue with the theme, Sandwisch also primarily played on special teams throughout his career. However, he did fill in nicely in 2018 when the Mountaineers linebacking unit was banged up. He totaled 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
CB Jake Long
Long appeared in 24 games and made 12 tackles mostly seeing time on special teams. He entered the transfer portal this offseason.
K/P Jonn Young
Young never received his chance to be the team's punter and ultimately transferred to East Carolina early in his career.
CLUNKERS - Those that had to retire from the game due to injuries
QB Cody Saunders
Saunders had a brief career at WVU. Many thought he had a chance to be the future at the quarterback position but had to retire from the game as a redshirt freshman after dealing with a serious shoulder injury.
OL Jacob Buccigrossi
Buccigrossi was never able to stay healthy long enough to get a chance to really prove himself. He had two shoulder surgeries and decided to retire from football.
LB Brendan Ferns
Ferns was regarded as one of the highest-rated recruits in this 2016 class for WVU but unfortunately, the injury bug got to him too. He suffered multiple knee and shoulder injuries before he announced his retirement from the game.
TWEENERS - Had some productive years but not at an extremely high level
CB Mike Daniels (JUCO)
Daniels barely saw the field in his first year but developed into a decent starter in 2017. He recorded 40 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
CB Elijah Battle (JUCO)
In 2016, Battle was a rotational corner that made a handful of starts. He became a key contributor for West Virginia as a senior making 50 tackles and eight pass deflections.
DE Reese Donahue
Donahue wasn't much of a pass rusher but he was very good at stopping the run and didn't make many mistakes. Rock-solid player that made the defensive line better and led by example. He finished his career with 108 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.
DE Jeffery Pooler Jr.
Much like Donahue, Pooler was not an elite pass rusher but was a good run stuffer and was reliable. He was quiet in his first two years mainly being used as a depth player but really made strides in 2020 registering 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. This offseason, Pooler elected to enter the transfer portal and will finish out his eligibility at Northwestern.
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