By Keenan Cummings
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia is in the home stretch of recruiting, which also officially means the return of official visits.
An official visit is not much different from its unofficial cousin, outside of the trip is paid for by the school and prospects are allowed 48 hours on campus. The Mountaineers currently have 15 commitments in the 2020 class and are looking to close the deal on several others over the weekend.
Now, this time of the year often leads to quick changes in visit dates and who could be on campus, but there are several prospects who have indicated that they will be making the trip today.
It should come as no surprise that pass rushers and defensive backs will be featured.
Evergreen (Ala.) Hillcrest defensive end Eddie Watkins lists WVU among his top schools along with Purdue and will be making his first trip to campus to see the program. The coaching staff sees him as a pass rushing bandit linebacker in the scheme, and if things go well this weekend, he could potentially fill a void for the coaches off the edge with his abilities.
Another edge rusher that plans to make the trek is Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater International defensive end Wesley Bailey, who received a visit from defensive line coach Jordan Lesley on Tuesday. Bailey, a Canadian import, was originally a tight end but switched to the defensive side and has seen his recruitment take off. Along with WVU, he is set to take an official visit to Minnesota next weekend and has already visited Illinois and Central Michigan. This could realistically come down to a battle between the Mountaineers and the Illini if all things go according to plan.
On the back end of the defense, Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard safety Charles Bell had been committed to Syracuse for almost six months but decided to open things up Monday. That led to a quick turnaround for an official visit set to Morgantown this weekend. Bell has developed a close bond with cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae, and given the fact he wants to enroll at the school he chooses in January, the Mountaineers have a golden opportunity in his recruitment this weekend.
The coaching staff paid a visit to Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage cornerback Daryl Porter on Wednesday and he is returning the favor this weekend for an official. It is the third of the process for him after previous stops at Utah and Washington State, and Porter has indicated this could be the last. That means that the Mountaineers could have the final shot at swaying the versatile cornerback prospect.
Each of those players are listed as a three-star recruit on Rivals.com and there is the possibility for several others to make it to campus, such as Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive end Justin Jackson and others.
It will be a critical weekend in Morgantown for putting the finishing touches on the class and with it being only one of two opportunities left before the opening of the Dec. 18 early signing period, expect the WVU coaching staff to be plenty busy playing host to a talented group of potential prospects.
