The traditional February signing date has come and passed, but West Virginia still has work left to do.
The Mountaineers added only one prospect to the haul from the early signing period in Port St. Lucie (Fla.) Treasure Coast defensive lineman Corey McIntyre. The 6-foot-4, 280-pounder’s signature didn’t come as a surprise considering he had been committed to the program since his official visit in June.
But the legacy prospect didn’t sign during the early period in order to make sure everything was squared away on his end.
Now with McIntyre in the fold, the Mountaineers have 81 scholarship players on the roster heading into the spring although like most things in college football that is subject to change. If that number holds true, it gives the football program four open scholarships to fill moving forward.
So where will the focus be?
West Virginia still has a need at wide receiver even after addressing the position both in the recruiting class with Rodney Gallagher and Traylon Ray as well as the transfer portal with North Carolina State wide receiver Devin Carter and Kent State slot Ja’Shaun Poke. It is a guarantee that the Mountaineers will add another wide receiver in the coming weeks likely from the transfer ranks.
One name to at least keep in mind is former South Florida wide receiver Xavier Weaver, who has already taken an official visit to Morgantown and has over 700 yards receiving in each of the past two years. The graduate transfer would have one year left.
There will be others on the radar as well.
Other positions to watch for those open scholarships include a pass rusher that can create pressure off the edge such as a bandit. Help along both the offensive and defensive lines will always be a priority, and one player that has already booked an official visit for March is former Miami offensive lineman Jakai Clark. A four-year starter for the Hurricanes, Clark could fill several different positions up front.
The final focus will assuredly be on the secondary as West Virginia looks to completely re-make the positions after a season where the Mountaineers struggled mightily in the backend of the defense.
A lot of the heavy lifting is done in this class, but there’s still work to do before the page is totally flipped to the class of 2024. And what happens over the rest of the off-season will be key.
–Story by KEENAN CUMMINGS
