MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — S.L. McCall gave himself a gift on his birthday.
McCall, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker from Iowa Western Junior College, chose his birthday as the day to commit to West Virginia. He is a member of the 2020 recruiting class.
McCall projects to play at the primarily pass-rushing Bandit position, which is currently occupied by VanDarius Cowan and Zach Sandwisch.
The Mountaineers are taking a leap of faith with McCall, who sat out last season after not qualifying academically out of high school. He will play for the Reivers this season and have three years left to play at West Virginia.
Rivals.com’s Keenan Cummings said that the interest is unsurprising given the strength of McCall’s high school film.
WVU is the first Power 5 program to offer McCall. Several Group of 5 schools were pursuing him, including Houston, South Florida, Troy and Arkansas State.
That McCall picked West Virginia over Houston is noteworthy in at least one sense. Former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen left for Houston in January, and difficulty recruiting to West Virginia was among his rationale for taking that job.
Inside linebackers coach Blake Seiler, whose territory includes Iowa junior colleges, was McCall’s primary recruiter. McCall is originally from Lake City, Fla. He is the fifth player to commit to West Virginia’s 2020 class, though Bowling Green transfer quarterback Jarret Doege may end up reclassifying as a member of that class as well.
