UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Laurel Highlands 2023 athlete Rodney Gallagher was initially expected to announce his college decision July 4 but elected to do so two months earlier.
It still resulted in fireworks after all, at least for the West Virginia football program. That’s because Gallagher bypassed offers from a long list of others including Notre Dame, Penn State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas and many others to select the Mountaineers.
Gallagher, 6-foot-0, 170-pounds, made his choice known inside the gymnasium at his school and gave the Big 12 Conference program a pledge from its highest rated prospect since 2010.
The No. 105 rated player in the nation according to Rivals.com, Gallagher received an offer from WVU over two years ago and had become a primary focus for the coaching staff since that point.
The explosive athlete plays quarterback at the high school level but is expected to move to wide receiver at the college level given his combination of speed and explosion.
Gallagher visited Morgantown over a dozen times throughout the process and developed close bonds with multiple members of the coaching staff ranging from head coach Neal Brown, safeties coach Dontae Wright, wide receivers coach Tony Washington and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell.
The coaches made it clear that Gallagher was a priority from the start and that played a significant role in developing a connection that would prove to be critical in his decision-making process.
While other schools recruited Gallagher, the proximity and connection with the coaches proved invaluable in favor of West Virginia. Couple that with how he believes he could make an instant impact on the field and is a fan of the new offensive scheme and it made the choice rather easy.
Gallagher’s commitment thrusts the West Virginia recruiting class back toward the top 20 nationally with only seven commitments and overall represents the second four-star in the class.
The Mountaineers are expected to take at least two more wide receivers in this class but landing the top player in the state of Pennsylvania is a massive momentum swing on the recruiting trail.
A legitimate two-sport standout, Gallagher had scholarship offers to play basketball in college but will be focusing solely on the gridiron. He is expected to enroll at West Virginia in January to begin his career.
It was a massive day for the West Virginia football program as the Mountaineers reeled in arguably their top prospect on the board in the 2023 cycle. And with Gallagher now in the fold, the focus can shift toward building out the class even further moving ahead with momentum on the coaches’ side.
Wesley McCormick and Jaylon Shelton
The Mountaineers added James Madison graduate transfer cornerback Wesley McCormick as well as Tyler J.C. (Texas) safety Jaylon Shelton to fill pressing needs as the roster comes together.
McCormick, 6-foot-0, 199-pounds, just wrapped up an official visit to campus and gives the program another veteran presence at the cornerback position to go along with incumbent Charles Woods and another graduate transfer in Rashad Ajayi.
The Maryland native played 49 games during his time with the Dukes including 18 starts but was limited to only a single contest last season due to injury. Before that, McCormick was playing the best football of his career over the past two seasons. He has excelled in coverage, allowing only 29 of 75 passes thrown his way to be caught. That is a career reception percentage of just 38.7.
McCormick entered the transfer portal May 20 and things moved quickly between the two parties as the Mountaineers find what likely will be the final piece in the cornerback room this season. He has only one year remaining in his career and will be looking to make the most of it in Morgantown.
Shelton, 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, had narrowed his choices down to WVU and TCU after taking official visits to both programs over the past week. The Mountaineers had moved quickly in their pursuit for the talented defensive back led by the charge of ShaDon Brown, who also recruited McCormick.
TCU was expected to be the leader heading into the official visits given his background from the state of Texas, but the Mountaineers were able to impress him enough to secure his pledge giving the program a major win over one of their league rivals.
Shelton is slated to play cat safety for the program and features the trademark size and length that West Virginia has been searching for in the backend of things.
Unlike McCormick, Shelton will have three years left on the field as well as a redshirt.
Given the new additions, WVU currently sits at 82 total scholarships and can add as many as three more in the coming weeks depending on what unfolds in the process.
By Keenan Cummings
