Comfort level leads 2025 TE Accuardi to West Virginia
One decision changed the direction of the recruitment of De Forest (Wi.) 2025 tight end Jackson Accuardi.
Accuardi, 6-foot-7, 240-pounds, had originally planned to visit Penn State the first weekend of February but West Virginia tight ends coach Blaine Stewart wanted to at least extend the invitation to see Morgantown.
Stewart had initially offered the Rivals.com three-star prospect in November and was able to build a better connection over the next month until he stopped by his school during the contact period. After a conversation with the assistant, Accuardi was intrigued and wanted to see what Morgantown was all about.
So, when Stewart floated the invitation while fully respecting his initial plans to fly into Pittsburgh and then head up to State College that weekend.
“He said I know you’re going to Penn State, and I respect that decision, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t give you the opportunity to come visit us. So, I ended up switching my Penn State visit and then I drove down to Morgantown,” he said.
And that first visit changed the complexion of his recruitment as Accuardi was highly impressed with West Virginia and it moved the program toward the top of his list. During that visit, Stewart was able to take him on a tour around the school and share some of his personal experiences from being around the program.
After another visit in the spring and then his stop for the Gold-Blue game, Accuardi knew he had found where he wanted to spend his college career.
So, while he was on campus he offered his commitment to head coach Neal Brown and Stewart giving the Mountaineers a key pledge at the tight end spot in the 2025 cycle.
“Really just the place itself. I love all the people there, the coaches every time they see you they’re always talking to you, and they all care about you,” he said. “They have great facilities and overall, it’s just a great program. I love Coach Brown and Coach Stewart and they’ve been nothing but amazing.”
Accuardi was impressed with the plans for the tight end position in the offense and was able to see firsthand what the coaching staff did with somebody of a similar stature in Kole Taylor this past season. Taylor led the team in receptions which was eye-opening to the rising senior and the coaches utilized his entire skill set.
“They know how to get their best players the ball and I know if I go there and work hard I can be in the exact same position that Kole is in,” he said.
West Virginia likes that Accuardi brings a complete skill set to the position with the ability to not only split out in the slot and run routes but a willingness to put his hand in the dirt and block.
Accuardi also has become close with several of the other 2025 commitments such as Mentor (Oh.) quarterback Scotty Fox and now plans to turn his attention toward recruiting others.
And now with his recruitment behind him, Accuardi is thankful for the audible that definitely played a major role in altering his recruitment.
“It was an eye-opener. If I would have stuck with Penn State and never went to West Virginia I probably wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in today so that was a good decision,” he said.
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