By Keenan Cummings
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Nijel McGriff received his first scholarship offer from West Virginia and that persistence paid off by the junior college defensive lineman committing to the Mountaineers on Monday.
McGriff at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, received that opportunity from the Big 12 Conference program in March and the coaches made him a priority from that point forward led by defensive line coach Jordan Lesley. The bond those two forged proved critical in his decision-making process due to the comfort level that he had established both with the coaches and the school itself.
Other schools such as Maryland, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Western Kentucky and more followed suit by offering a scholarship, but WVU outworked everybody else in this recruitment, according to McGriff.
The versatile defensive lineman could play outside or inside for the Mountaineers on the defensive front and ability made him a priority for the coaches in this class.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native recorded 27 tackles and 2.5 sacks during his freshman season at Northwest Mississippi C.C., but has been projected as a potential All-American candidate as a sophomore by several publications including Rivals.com.
McGriff is set to graduate in December and one bonus of the junior college season being pushed back into the spring is that he will now exit Northwest with three years to play three remaining. Had he played this fall he would have only had two seasons left, along with a redshirt.
McGriff makes the second defensive lineman in as many years to commit to WVU from Northwest after another Florida native Quay Mays picked the Mountaineers in the 2020 class. That also helped with his comfort level with the school and now WVU has their way along the defensive line.
This pledge makes the fourth overall for WVU on the defensive line in the class and 13th for the Mountaineers in their total efforts in the 2021 cycle.
