Neal Brown Provides Update on Absence of RB Jaylen Anderson
The Mountaineers have officially begun fall camp in preparation for the 2021 season. However, this is one piece to the puzzle that is still not on campus and that is incoming freshman running back Jaylen Anderson (Perry, OH).
Anderson is considered to be one of West Virginia's top recruits from the 2021 recruiting class alongside fellow running back Justin Johnson Jr. who is already impressing the coaching staff. With the season set to begin in less than a month, the time is ticking for Anderson to get enrolled.
Head coach Neal Brown was asked about Anderson's absence earlier in the week and although he seems optimistic, he didn't seem 100% confident that he will arrive.
"Jaylen is not here, everybody else is here. I'm not sure when Jaylen will arrive but we are still hopeful that he will. Some clearinghouse things going on but he's the only one that's not here right now."
Anderson has the look of an every-down back. He stays low to the ground and can make guys miss once he hits the second level of the defense. He doesn't hesitate when hitting gaps and provides a great burst of speed out of the backfield. What makes Anderson even more intriguing is that he is also a big threat in the passing game not only out of the backfield but also has the ability to line up at receiver from time to time.
Even if Anderson were to arrive on campus tomorrow, I would assume that his late arrival will hold him back from seeing the field early this fall. This appears to be out of Anderson's control but if and when he makes it to Morgantown, it's going to take him some time to adjust to the daily routine of practice, meetings, and so on, and will also have to learn the whole offense. This doesn't rule out the possibility of him playing this fall but it could keep him from getting an opportunity in the first handful of games.
Anderson chose West Virginia over other offers from Boston College, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pitt, Utah, and a few others.
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