By Keenan Cummings
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia is still in search of a running back in the 2021 class and two of the prime candidates were back on campus over the weekend for return visits.
Edwardsville (Ill.) running back Justin Johnson and Clintwood (Va.) Ridgeview running back Trenton Adkins both were on campus during the Jan. 25 junior day and returned over the weekend for another look at the Mountaineers football program.
Johnson, rated as one of the top 250 players nationally by Rivals.com, didn’t hold back as his experience somehow topped his first trip to campus, which he had labeled a 10 out of 10.
“The visit was beyond amazing,” he said.
What stood out to Johnson was how he had more time to connect to both the coaches and the players on the team led by the efforts of running backs coach Chad Scott. That connection has only continued to get stronger and Johnson sees an opportunity to make an impact for the Mountaineers.
The plan for now is Johnson will take visits to Louisville and Nebraska, as well as make a return trip to West Virginia, prior to making a college decision in the coming weeks. If he follows that plan, it could bode well for the Mountaineers in the pursuit of the talented tailback.
“I feel the program could potentially be a perfect fit,” he said.
That’s if Adkins, who also holds offers from Tennessee, Penn State and others, doesn’t beat him to the punch. The versatile running back has been to Morgantown three times now and each time leaves with the program high on his list of possible options.
Like Johnson, Adkins has cultivated a strong bond with Scott and the WVU assistant has made it clear that he is a priority prospect on the board for the program.
“I really love how he coaches,” Adkins said.
The Virginia native was impressed not only with the message from the coaching staff but getting another taste of what Morgantown has to offer from an environment perspective. That was on full display when he attended the basketball game against Baylor and saw how the fans rallied around the basketball team, something that certainly has his attention.
Last Saturday’s junior day is the sixth such event for the Mountaineers since December and expect more visits to continue throughout the course of the spring. WVU currently has four commitments in the 2021 class and is hoping to add at least one running back to that group.
Could one of these options fill that need? We might not have to wait much longer to find out.
