I hate to say I told u so, but here's what national recruiting expert says:
Why West Virginia has a recruiting class worth noticing
ByBARTON SIMMONS 2 hours ago
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West Virginia is putting together a really good under-the-radar class right now in the 2021 cycle. I know how an ‘under-the-radar’ typically is perceived. It’s a pat on the head. “Good job, good effort”. But this is no backhanded compliment. It’s an observation that something that feels significant is going down in Morgantown.
On Monday, West Virginia landed
Tomas Rimac as its 11th commit of the 2021 cycle. Rimac has an unremarkable ranking in the mid-three-star range. However, 247Sports is currently in the process of taking a deeper dive on the offensive side of the ball in the 2021 class and Rimac has been one of the real revelations on the offensive line. He’s a player with the frame you want at offensive tackle and the background you want too. He plays on both sides of the ball for his high school at a high level. He’s also a standout in track where he throws the shot put over 58 feet and the discus over 163. He’s an athlete in a big man’s body and he’s a stock-up guy at offensive tackle in the 247Sports rankings.
But this isn’t just about Rimac. In a way, he’s the definition of under the radar. He doesn’t have the stars next to his name or the offer list of blue bloods that make him a national name but he does have the ability. That West Virginia found him before he arrived
above the radar is a credit to the Mountaineers, particularly since it’s becoming a regular occurrence.
When you scan the West Virginia commit list, a lot of those ‘under-the-radar’ names emerge. As soon as you get past the Top100 and five-star no-brainers, the difference between a high three-star commit and a low four-star is much closer than many choose to acknowledge. As we’ve gone through the positional rankings, West Virginia’s commits have regularly popped as guys with significant potential to rise in our rankings or simply out-play their current ranking.
Wide receiver
Kaden Prather is already a four-star. Running back
Jaylen Anderson is currently ranked highest possible three-star grade of 89. When we reviewed running backs he was a player that popped in a big way with fantastic film, toughness, production and versatility. The same could be said for wide receiver
Andrew Wilson-Lamp. Both look like strong candidates to contend for four-star status down the road. With an offer list that’s primarily Group of Five laden, tight end commit
Treylan Davis also posts upper tier tight end film. From my international trip last spring to see a few hundred prospects in Amsterdam, it’s no surprised to see one of the most talented players from the event pop up on West Virginia’s commit list as well in
Victor Wikstrom.
Even as it hits on the right under-the-radar types West Virginia has supplemented its class with a decidedly above the radar stud in Top100 talent Wyatt Millum on the offensive line. As a local product with a national offer list, he's the type of blue chip that
Neal Brown can't miss on and he didn't. Outside of its own state West Virginia appears to be prioritizing the state of Ohio, a strategy that has worked significantly at Kentucky as
Mark Stoops has elevated that program in the SEC.
My agreement with West Virginia’s eye for talent hasn’t been limited to the 2021 cycle though. We ranked Maryland athlete
David Vincent-Okoli significantly higher than our peers in the 2020 class. Wide receiver Sam Brown was a four-star with us and a three-star at every other site. In-state players Zac Frazier and Sean Martin were viewed by us as some of the best three-stars in the country by us.
Recruiting rankings are extremely important and yet they don’t always tell the full story. It feels like this West Virginia class is making every rating point count in terms of quality, regardless of where it stands in the national list.