By Keenan Cummings
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The wait for a second 2022 West Virginia football commitment is over after Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive lineman Charlie Katarincic pledged to the program Thursday afternoon.
Katarincic, at 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, selected the Mountaineers over offers from East Carolina, Columbia, Penn and Dartmouth, as well as interest from a host of others.
A native of Pittsburgh, the versatile offensive lineman plays his high school ball in Connecticut and has been in contact with the WVU coaching staff since the summer. But it wasn’t until January the Mountaineers extended a scholarship offer and things took off from there.
That was even further cemented after a virtual visit where he was able to see every aspect of the program and get a feel for how he could fit into it.
“I was super impressed by everything. The first visit was just a tour of the campus and facilities which my parents and I were blown away by,” Katarincic said.
Offensive line coach Matt Moore was the lead recruiter for Katarincic and developed a strong bond with him throughout the course of the process. That comfort level with the assistant, as well as his plan for him, led to Katarincic making an earlier than expected decision.
But that decision was made easier when he elected to take a self-guided tour to campus to see how he could fit into the program.
“My family and I went to drive around Morgantown just to see campus and I don’t think I possibly could have left that place without saying that wasn’t the place for me and it didn’t feel like home,” Katarincic said.
He could end up at several different spots in college across the offensive front and his versatility is something that attracted the Mountaineers to his skill set. While he has yet to take a complete in-person visit, he plans to do so on an official from June 4-6.
The Mountaineers now have two commitments in the 2022 class after Spring Valley athlete Corbin Page selected the program, and for now, WVU will have a full allotment to fill. Even with the pledge of Katarincic, expect WVU to continue to be aggressive when targeting offensive linemen in the class.
By the time the dust settles, the Mountaineers should have anywhere from four to five linemen in the group as the coaches continue to address the position.
Versatility is key up front and WVU certainly added an impressive piece to the future offensive line with adding Katarincic to the fold.
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