Photo by Doug Johnson-Mountaineer Maven
WVU Recruiting: Mock Projections of 2021 Defensive Class 1.0
The West Virginia Mountaineers just recently capped off its 2020 signing class and boy, did they finish strong. The staff was able to land the services of defensive end/outside linebacker Eddie Watkins - who chose West Virginia over Arizona and Missouri. In addition to Watkins, they also landed running back A'varius Sparrow and linebacker James Thomas. According to Keenan Cummings of Rivals.com, this was one of the best recruiting classes in West Virginia history as they finished as the 28th best class and third in the Big 12, only trailing Texas and Oklahoma.
Neal Brown has repeatedly stated that the 2021 class will be a real good measuring stick of what they'll be able to do as far as bringing in top talent to Morgantown. With his first full recruiting cycle under his belt, he now has something to build on. Can West Virginia finish inside the top 25 with the 2021 class? If the 2020 class was any indication, I'd be willing to say that it is entirely possible.
With all of that being said, today, we decided to break down our first version of the mock 2021 class (offense only).
**Note this is purely based off of the recruits interest in West Virginia and does not reflect the amount of available scholarships that will be available. Those numbers will change throughout the off-season.**
DE Daryl Peterson (Akron, OH)
Offers: Alabama, Iowa State, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pitt, Wisconsin, West Virginia and a few others.
Analysis: Peterson recently visited West Virginia and came away impressed. “It’s great and definitely [a program] on the rise. I’ve watched some games and I think coach Brown is a great coach with a great staff,” Peterson said about the Mountaineer program. He also tells Mountaineer Maven that West Virginia is "extremely high" on his list of interests.
DE Zeiqui Lawton (Charleston, WV)
Offers: Cincinnati, Illinois, Louisville, Marshall, Oregon and West Virginia.
Analysis: Lawton has a ton of potential with a very high ceiling as an elite pass rusher off the edge. Other big time programs are going to start extending offers and West Virginia will have to do their best to fend those guys off and keep Lawton in the state.
DT Taleeq Robbins (Philadelphia, PA)
Offers: Arizona State, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Maryland, Michigan, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, West Virginia and others.
Analysis: Neal Brown and his staff are hitting Philadelphia hard and with former high school teammate Tykee Smith already at West Virginia and Saint McLeod committed, that might make it a little easier to sell the program. Robbins is going to be a tough get, but I believe Brown will find a way to snag this kid up.
DT Terion Sugick (Fort Washington, MD)
Offers: Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, West Virginia and others.
Analysis: The former Virginia commit is certainly one to keep an eye on. He visited West Virginia last month and left with some good first impressions with the staff and loved the vision Neal Brown has for the program. The Mountaineers need to continue to stockpile guys up front, so I expect them to do just that.
LB Sebastian Sagar (Brooklyn, NY)
Offers: Buffalo, Syracuse, West Virginia and others.
Analysis: Sagar tells Mountaineer Maven that West Virginia is the leader in his recruitment at the moment and loves the coaching staff. "I think coach Neal Brown is an amazing coach and they got something special going on that I’d be extremely interested to be apart of." Sagar says.
LB Tristan Cox (Somerset, KY)
Offers: Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Purdue, Toledo, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
Analysis: Cox camped at West Virginia last summer and has been on another visit since. Although he may be hard to pull away from his home state schools -Louisville and Kentucky, I think Neal Brown sells him on the program.
LB Cameron Junior (Middletown, OH)
Offers: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Pitt, Toledo and West Virginia.
Analysis: Junior was also on campus recently and said he is already looking forward to his return to Morgantown. More offers will come his way, so don't let that concern you.
CB Tyreek Chappell (Philadelphia, PA)
Offers: Baylor, Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Maryland, Miami, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Wake Forest, West Virginia and others.
Analysis: Once again the Mountaineer coaching staff has success dipping into the "City of Brotherly Love" and gets Tyreek Chappell. Great cover skills and plays much bigger than his size would indicate.
CB Matt Marshall (Philadelphia, PA)
Offers: Baylor, Indiana, North Carolina State and West Virginia.
Analysis: A source close to Mountaineer Maven says that Marshall is gaining "heavy interest" in West Virginia and could be considered a "lean" in the direction for the Mountaineers.
Current defensive commits: S Saint McLeod.