By Keenan Cummings
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 2021 recruiting cycle has certainly been different.
Due to the ongoing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, all visits to college campuses have been put on halt while the evaluation period has been shelved, as well. That means the primary methods for prospects and coaches to make decisions on the process have been erased for the time being.
That has led to some interesting developments on the recruiting trail, especially in the realm of commitments. It’s certainly not anything groundbreaking for prospects to choose a school without visiting campus, but it’s been unfolding at a high rate given the current visit restrictions.
That makes for an interesting debate later down the line once things do return to normal. Will those commitments stick or will prospects flip and flop at a higher rate given the fact that they haven’t had a chance to establish many of those qualities that often lead to making a college choice?
It’s certainly something West Virginia coach Neal Brown is paying attention to.
“How many of these commitments will stick that haven’t been on campus, haven’t been around the coaches, haven’t been around the team?” Brown said. “That will be interesting to me.”
It’s something that Brown is safeguarding against already as the Mountaineers have only taken commitments from those prospects that have been to campus multiple times and developed a strong bond with the coaching staff.
That doesn’t guarantee a player will stick, but it does help considering it lays a solid foundation to build upon throughout the process.
The Mountaineers have seven current commitments and each check off those boxes. That could lead to less worrying down the road once things eventually open back up.
“If they haven’t been educated on everything the school has to offer, they haven’t been on campus, they haven’t been around your players then those commitments are only going to be as strong as those bonds we have,” Brown said.
And that’s exactly what Brown and company are banking on — those established bonds will help weather a unique and interesting storm that the current situation has created.
Nothing is foolproof, but it does give the WVU coaches a reason to sleep a little better at night.
