MORGANTOWN — West Virginia wanted to get older in the secondary and the Mountaineers took a step toward accomplishing that with a commitment from Ellisville (Miss.) Jones J.C. safety Hershey McLaurin.
McLaurin, at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, received an offer from the Mountaineers in early December after a standout season at the junior college level. He recorded a total of 36 tackles and five interceptions, showcasing a willingness to come up and play the run, as well as ball-hawking skills.
The Mississippi native took an official visit to Morgantown over the Dec. 10 weekend and by the end of it, had found his fit, announcing his pledge to the Big 12 program at the tail end of the trip.
“Morgantown, I’m home,” he tweeted.
McLaurin will have three seasons of eligibility remaining and is set to arrive on campus in January in order to compete in spring ball. That is significant in itself, but the fact WVU was able to add a seasoned option at the position is even more critical.
WVU will lose both starting back-end safeties in Alonzo Addae and Sean Mahone at season’s end and McLaurin, whose given name is Marques, will be able to compete immediately for time.
Heading into next season, WVU only has five scholarship safeties on the roster and will welcome two more in this class with Harper Woods (Mich.) safety Christion Stokes.
Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley served as the lead recruiter for McLaurin and is he slotted to play either the cat or free safety in the Mountaineers’ defensive scheme.
This could be the start of several pledges down the stretch as the Mountaineers speed toward the start of the early signing period Wednesday and look to put the finishing touches on the class.
McLaurin represents the 17th commitment overall for WVU in the 2022 cycle.
By KEENAN CUMMINGS
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