MAILBAG: QB Race, Hoops Transfer Portal Targets, Baseball's Hot Start + More

A new week is upon us which means it's time to crack open the West Virginia On SI mailbag.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) or reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: Who do you want to see Coach Hodge get out of the portal and how many guys do you see him bringing from North Texas, including staff members?

A: To be completely honest with you, there are so many kids in the portal that it would be difficult to form a list of best fits. I'll leave that up to Ross Hodge to identify, haha. As far as the North Texas piece of the question, I'd say it's safe to assume forward Brenen Lorient will end up in Morgantown and he may be the only player that follows Hodge. Lorient entered the NBA Draft, but that's most likely to submit paperwork, go through some workouts in front of scouts, and get feedback. For the coaches, I'd keep an eye on Johnny Estelle and Jase Herl, possibly Phil Forte.

From @chaneybrad:

Q: With such a talented QB room is it a two-man race for QB1 or could someone surprise us?

A: Max Brown could make a push, but I really believe it will come down to Nicco Marchiol and Jaylen Henderson. And yes, it is a competition. If it wasn't, Marchiol would have taken a significant portion of the reps toward the latter half of spring practice. That's not to say he can't be the favorite, but Rich Rod is nowhere near ready to make a decision, nor does he need to be. Heck, there's a good chance no one knows who it is until they take the field on August 30th.

From @wvuremfan:

Q: When will we be hearing more on the MBB staff and recruiting efforts?

A: They are in a dead period right now, which will come to an end on April 10th. Coaches can still talk to players in the portal; they just can't visit them nor can the prospect visit campus until that date passes. There's a chance they'll pick up some commitments beforehand, but look for things to really pick up once they get guys on campus. Those visits are being lined up as we speak, by the way. Head over to our transfer tracker to see the names on their board.

From @_blake_sears_:

Q: Should WVU baseball get ranked?

A: Absolutely. They've been ranked in pretty much every poll except D1Baseball, I believe. Why that is remains a mystery. A team that is 27-4 and has won three of four Big 12 series should have no trouble getting a number next to its name. I wish I had a better answer for you other than calling it b.s., but that's just the reality of it. I do expect them to get in the D1Baseball poll this week.

From @JaBlomiCokL:

Q: Is Will Reed on the football team?

A: Yes and no. He has committed and is signed, he's just not on campus yet. He will arrive this summer, along with several others.

From @wvufan2023:

From @chaneybrad:

From @wvuremfan:

From @_blake_sears_:

From @JaBlomiCokL:

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