MAILBAG: Is Pitt Worth the Hype? Grading Transfers, Bridges vs Dana + More

From: @WVUdrunkmtneer

Is Pitt worth their top 10 hype? Seems as if they’ve lost a lot. Will be an awesome opportunity to start the season regardless though.

Answer: I'm not as high on them as everyone else seems to be, but they are the reigning ACC Champions, for whatever that's worth. Losing Kenny Pickett, Jordan Addison, and a few others will be hard to recover from by game one. They'll be decent, but not as strong as they were in 2021.

From: @lafferty_nick

Are the basketball and football programs done adding transfers for the upcoming season? How difficult is it for transfers to learn a new system and contribute immediately?

Answer: Recruiting the portal never truly stops. Football is definitely still actively recruiting players from the portal and will continue to do so up until fall camp commences. There are still a couple of options for Huggins, it's just a matter of whether or not they want to bring one more in, causing more shuffling of the roster.

From: @Brumfie57488575

With the big from Texas signing, who loses the roster spot?

Answer: Great question. We may know this for a while, but potentially Josiah Davis. Haven't confirmed that through anyone, but that would be my best guess considering Pat Suemnick, Jimmy Bell Jr., Josiah Harris, and Mohamed Wague are already enrolled or will be enrolled very soon. Davis could go to prep school for a year and arrive next season.

From: @Coach_Fitzwater

How does WVU compete in the NIL game to stay competitive?

Answer: A lot of student-athletes are signing multiple deals that give them the best opportunity to maximize their profit. Some of these deals aren't going to do much other than give them some gas and food money, but it's better than nothing. There's no one making six figures that I'm aware of. Once companies realize they're not seeing a return on their investment, the mega-deals will slowly dwindle away.

From: @witchingghourr

What’s the strength of the 2022 class? Multiple areas?

Answer: I'm assuming you are talking about football and the class that is entering as freshmen. For me, it's the secondary, especially if we're including the transfers. Transfers and JUCO guys aside, I really like the potential of CB Jacolby Spells and Mumu Bin-Wahad. Ty Woodby is going to develop into a decent player down the road as well.

From: @lambo_613

If you could give a letter grade to the recruits we’ve added to our secondary, what would it be?

Answer: B+. Between the incoming freshmen and the additions made through the transfer portal and JUCO, there's a lot of potential. The biggest question is whether or not guys like Rashad Ajayi, Wesley McCormick, and Jaylon Shelton can play at this level. The young guys will develop over time.

From: @matthewtthorn1

Football prediction for the season record?

Answer: I'll say 7-5. It doesn't sound that great but you have to keep in mind that they have lost a number of key veterans to the portal and are using first-year guys to replace them. Even at quarterback. Yes, JT Daniels SHOULD be an upgrade from Jarret Doege, but it's his first year in the program. Think of that 2017 Will Grier team.

From: @i_hate_pitt

How many more four stars are we getting?

Answer: Not sure what some of these guys are rated since we don't use star ratings on Sports Illustrated, but there is a handful of guys that are considered "top priority" and are heavily recruited. You can check out the list on the WVU Recruiting Hot Board.

From: @johnamos1275

If Rodney Gallagher was solely a basketball recruit, what kind of rating would he have?

Answer: Not very good at gauging what folks would rank him, but if I had to guess, probably a high-end three-star. The kid is just a pure athlete. He can do a lot of things at a high level and if he eventually decides to change his mind and play basketball at WVU too, he'll be a contributor in one way or another.

From: @AaronLantz1

Not so much a recruiting question, but who will get booed louder in their return to WVU…Dana Holgorsen or Jalen Bridges?

Answer: I got a chuckle out of reading this one. I would say probably Jalen Bridges based solely on the fact that it's going to be fresh in the minds of fans whereas Houston may not come to Morgantown for a few more years. Not to mention, it's not the same situation as Rich Rod. Holgorsen was basically shoved out the door. He didn't leave WVU at a crucial time and both sides knew it was time to move on.

From: @JerryCiccolell2

What are the chances that WVU can get TaMere Robinson out of Brashear H.S. to take his June 5th visit?

Answer: There's still a chance. The coaching staff paid a visit to his high school not too long ago. If anything, it might be a visit later in the month of June or perhaps a game this fall.

From: @geosolimports

Who are the starting Cornerbacks on opening day? Wilson-Lamp? Or one of the 3 new transfers?

Answer: Wilson-Lamp has a shot, but I think they'll lean on the experienced guys first. Charles Woods has one spot locked down. I expect the other to be Rashad Ajayi. If not Ajayi, probably Jaylon Shelton or Wesley McCormick. McCormick has more experience, for what it's worth.

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