MAILBAG: Recruiting Buzz, Roster Retention, Backyard Brawl + More

Good Monday morning, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

From @zakkburton2:

Q: Did somebody with a good sense of humor give Colorado’s equipment truck driver directions, or did that guy genuinely think he was gonna get up 3rd street in that thing?

A: I hate to speak on behalf of others, but yeah, that's on the driver, haha. WVU sends a very detailed route for equipment trucks to get in and out of Morgantown because, as proven this past weekend, one wrong turn and you can end up on 3rd street, taking up the entire road trying to turn around. They usually have them take the long way around to get to the stadium. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when that truck made its way into Morgantown.

From @wi_thompson:

Q: Everyone is still feeling each other out in basketball. Coaches, players, plus 2 players not yet to dress. How long should fans expect until the team is comfortable with each other and a regular rotation is decided?

A: This is a good question, William. And unfortunately, it's probably going to take a little longer than most would like, perhaps by the end of non-conference play would be my guess. I do, however, think that playing three games in six days to start the year helped, and playing in the Charleston Classic, where you play two in three, will also accelerate things; it's just a matter of how much. There are a few buy games before Big 12 play, where Ross Hodge should be able to cement who is top eight or nine guys are going to be.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: How many more recruits do you think we will get to finish off the recruiting class, and who is the staff really going after for those spots?

A: Rich Rodriguez has said in the neighborhood of 35, and that seems about right. They're at 29 right now (wink, wink), and are pursuing a few others committed elsewhere that I believe they can flip. Some names to watch, aside from the obvious, are North Carolina defensive line commit Ashton Blatt, ex-Arkansas linebacker commit Jordan Avinger, Penn State linebacker commit Terry Wiggins, defensive lineman JD Hill, and JUCO EDGE Jalen Anderson.

From @Jackson48645777:

Q: Who’s your top 10 players that we need retain for next year?

A: Glad you brought this up, Jackson. I'll be doing a detailed article on this very matter next week during the bye. I'll give you ten names for now, though, in no particular order. QB Scotty Fox, QB Khalil Wilkins, RB Jahiem White, RB Diore Hubbard, WR Cam Vaughn, LT Nick Krahe, LG Donovan Haslam, C Landen Livingston, BAN Curtis Jones Jr., and LB Ben Bogle.

From @bobmadigan_wvu:

Q: A win is a win, but how do you sell this to the recruits that were at the game today?

A: Honestly, the atmosphere sells itself. When recruits are at a game, they're soaking in the environment and checking everything out. They're not watching every single play intensely. They see the crowd's passion, how loud it gets, and hear Country Roads at the end, and call it a good day. WVU is fortunate because it's not like that everywhere else. The first thing a recruit notices is the atmosphere.

From @TML25302:

Q: How do we feel about our matchup against Pitt this Thursday?

A: It should be a great game. I'm not entirely sure what to expect because it will be the first time this season that either team has played a high-major opponent, and both rosters have a ton of newcomers. You'd have to think WVU has the slight edge, purely based on having the homecourt edge. Take last year's Backyard Brawl, for example. It was early in the year, and the first time Darian DeVries' entirely new squad played away from the Coliseum. That first road game, especially against a heated rival, can be challenging. Feels like a rock fight type of game.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my poston Facebook.