A Detailed Scouting Report on Each of West Virginia's 2025 Early Enrollees

Breaking down the first wave of WVU football newcomers.

Nearly a dozen freshmen have arrived in Morgantown to join the West Virginia football team for winter workouts and the spring semester. Today, we take a deep look at the group with a scouting report/analysis of each player.

QB Scotty Fox

WVU Athletics Communication

Fox is a pass-first dual-threat quarterback. The argument could be made that coming into his senior year, he was more of a pocket passer with good athleticism that would flash from time to time, but he used his legs more often as a senior, rushing for 329 yards and seven touchdowns.

Fox has a smooth, repeatable release that allows for a strong completion percentage to be possible. I'd pin his awareness as his best attribute. He can sense when the pocket is collapsing and makes sure to step up or roll out while keeping his eyes downfield to make a throw.

OL Gavin Crawford

WVU Athletics

Crawford is a tremendous athlete and it shows when he's being asked to pull and be the lead blocker in the outside run game. He's a mauler, a physical force, someone who plays with a mean streak. Has powerful hands that oftentimes knocks defenders on their can. When he latches on, though, defenders have a difficult time getting free.

There are some questions with his pass protection and not because he's put bad work on film, there's just not much of it. He comes from a pretty run-heavy offense, leaving him few opportunities. From the few reps available, he does play with a good base and moves his feet really well, staying balanced. He's a natural fit at left guard and projects to play there at West Virginia, possibly pretty early in his career as a rotational guy. Assuming he makes a successful transition, Crawford should be a multi-year starter at the next level and has some All-Big 12 potential in him.

TE Jackson Accuardi

WVU athletic

Accuardi has the size to play early on but needs to develop the blocking aspect of his game to have a shot at playing in 2025. As far as the receiving aspect, he's ahead of most tight ends that West Virginia has brought into the fold over the last few years. His route tree is pretty extensive, and he can comfortably line up outside and win against corners in man coverage. It will probably take a few years before he gets heavily in the tight end rotation, but there's a lot to like here.

OL Brandon Homady

WVU Footbal

Homady is going to be a long-term project mainly because of his thin frame. He's going to need to pack on at least 25-30 pounds in order to hold his own in the Big 12, but the natural strength is certainly there. I see him as someone who could be a swing tackle for the Mountaineers early on in his career and could eventually settle in at one of the tackle spots and compete for playing time. Very athletic and moves extremely well. Has a similar skillset to former Mountaineer right tackle Nick Malone. Could even play center too.

DL Brandon Caesar

WVU Athletic

Ceasar is an elite run defender who can really set the edge as a down lineman. Double teams are thrown his way constantly but are quite honestly a waste of time. He rips right through them with ease, maybe delaying him by 0.3 seconds if we're being generous to the opposing linemen. Not exactly sure what his wingspan is, but boy, he plays really long. Has a long reach and with the power he generates from his lower half, it puts o-lineman in a difficult spot. For some reason, I see a lot of Dante Stills in this game. Yes, they're different in a lot of ways, but I see No. 55 when I watch this kid.

DL Amir Leonard-Jean Charles

A true interior defender who gobbles up the run game. He can bounce outside if needed, but he's more suited to be a 3-technique, 2i, or 0 (true nose). Plays with a strong lower half and heavy hands, making life difficult for centers and undersized guards. Not a true threat as a pass rusher, but can push the nose of the pocket and flush out the quarterback.

Most interior defensive linemen need a couple of years of development before being able to truly push for a role, but Charles already has the body to play at the next level, checking in at 6'4", 305 pounds. The strength is there, the technique is there. It will all come down to how quickly he can pick up the defense and adjust to the routine of a college athlete. Huge anchor for the future of West Virginia's defense.

DL Romando Johnson

Johnson has a quick first step off the edge and uses his speed to beat his man off the ball. He'll need to get a little more handsy at the next level and use his strength to power rush, which is something he hasn't had to do a whole lot of in high school because of his athleticism.

He can play with his hand in the dirt, but certainly projects more as a stand-up edge rusher in West Virginia's system aka the SPUR position. In the run game, he does an excellent job in containment shutting down the outside and funneling runs back inside. It may take a couple years of development, but Johnson can be a solid rotational player with eventual starting potential.

DL Wilnerson Telemaque

Telemaque is one of my top-rated recruits in this class for the Mountaineers. He does a great job of setting the edge and containing the run game. The pass rush is still a work in progress, but with coaching and development in a college system, he'll be able to put it all together and be someone who can give you three or four sacks per season. Tough, physical kid that will draw double teams because of his ability to slam the door shut in the run game.

LB Michael Hastie

A pure athlete and a really solid running back in his own right. Probably could play that position for several teams at the next level, but projects to have a much higher ceiling as a linebacker with really good ball skills. Hastie fits the run game well and make a ton of plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Teams are going to try and run the ball in the opposite direction from him once he fully develops at WVU, but Zac Alley can scheme things up to funnel it back inside in his direction. He's listed at 215 pounds, but it's a lean 215. Give him two years with Mike Joseph and he'll have the look of an NFL linebacker. From a pass coverage standpoint, he has some work to do in terms of remaining in an athletic position and being ready to make a play on the ball but he fills zones well, giving him a good starting point.

LB/DB Chris Fileppo

Fileppo is one of the most underrated prospects in this class for West Virginia. The offers, in my opinion, don't match what I see on tape. This kid plays the game fast and physical from the safety position and is a flat-out playmaker.

I am, however, conflicted about where he'll play at WVU, though. While he seems to be a nice fit at safety, I believe he can add a little weight and slide down to linebacker. He doesn't miss many tackles, and solid pass coverage from the linebacker spot is something this defense desperately needs.

CB Zah Jackson

WVU Athletics

He might be small in size, but Jackson pops when you watch him on tape. He played both sides of the ball in high school, playing running back, receiver, corner, and even returned punts/kicks. Because of his size, I'm not exactly sure where he'll end up but he projects to be more impactful on the defensive side. I wouldn't completely rule out him playing on the offensive side too.

S Sammy Etienne

Etienne is a true athlete. I don't know if the new WVU coaching staff would ever entertain the thought of having him be a two-way player, but he would definitely have the skills to do so. If they do, he would be the opposite of Rodney Gallagher in that he would spend much of his time on defense while getting a few opportunities at receiver.

Should he just stick at safety full-time, he'll be a chess piece that the new staff can use to their advantage. They'll try to recruit guys who can play multiple positions, but Etienne can really do it all. His best positional fit, in my opinion, would be free safety. A redshirt year and then a special teams/depth piece year feel like the best course of action before Etienne fully takes over a starting role.

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