MORGANTOWN — WVU head coach Neal Brown made it clear Wednesday the official 2022 recruiting class is not done at the close of National Signing Day, but with the 22 the Mountaineers did make official, Brown is excited for what they can bring to the table.
“We tried to address everything,” he said. “We have some light rooms, but we’ve got a collective group that we feel good about. We feel good about these guys, but I think it’s important to know that we’re not done yet. We still have some needs that we need to address.”
The current signees cover just about every position — QB (1), RB (1), WR (2), OL (4), TE (2), DL (3), LB (3), CB (3), S (2) and P (1) — but the NCAA granted a one-year rule that allows teams to sign up to 32 players on scholarship, a bump up from the typical 25.
According to Rivals.com, the class is ranked 22nd out of 130 schools, which would be the highest since Rivals started doing team rankings in 2002. The previous high was 23rd in 2007, headlined by WVU’s highest-rated recruit ever in running back Noel Devine.
While the rule will likely go back to 25 next year, Brown hoped all along, due to the COVID year in 2020, that something would change with the 2022 class. With 22 already on board, he said WVU will definitely sign 32 before next season, hoping to keep it around 25 for high school recruits, leaving about seven for transfers.
If Brown succeeds, it will be the closest the Mountaineers have been to the 85 scholarship limit since he’s been head coach, heading into his fourth season in 2022.
With the transfer portal alive and well, and the rule allowing immediate eligibility for transfers, helping build a roster through transfers will become the norm across college football, or as Brown called it, “free agency.”
Much has been made about the lofty transfer numbers out of the WVU football program — 11 scholarship players since October — and Brown expects that number to climb even more before and after spring practice.
“I know our fans think we’re the only ones who lose them, and we’ve lost a little bit more than some, but that’s just the world we live in now,” he said. “I used to take it really, really personal. There’s some when they leave, I think, man, that’s a lot of time and a lot of relationships. But I think that’s just the era of college football we’re in right now.”
Brown believes there are a few factors as to why the portal has hundreds of players in it, including many simply think it’s cool and want the extra exposure. Others include playing time and bad advice.
“It’s easier for me to stomach if a kid’s graduated, which several that we’ve had leave were graduates,” Brown said. “I appreciate the ones who handled it the right way, come and talk to you and explain where they’re at. Most of them go because they want an increased role, whether they aren’t playing and they want in the two-deep, or they’re a backup and want to be a starter. While you don’t want them to leave, you at least understand where they’re coming from.
“I think some of the advice that they’re taking is very questionable, but if they come and handle it in the right way, then you understand.”
Brown also mentioned a few have been disciplinary issues that weren’t made public, but didn’t want to hamper their ability to succeed at another school.
Two of the 22 who signed Wednesday were transfers, including running back Lyn-J Dixon, who came from Clemson, and defensive lineman Zeiqui Lawton, who transferred from Cincinnati. Brown said he will continue to utilize the portal, but it is important to make sure whomever you add is the right fit moving forward.
“You have to be careful that you’re adding the right pieces,” Brown said.”
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