West Virginia plucked a major talent from an area that’s been difficult to mine in the past by securing the commitment of Aliquippa (Pa.) Rivals250 safety Kwantel Raines Monday.

Raines, 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, chose the Mountaineers over a long list of scholarship offers and while never formally stated the race appeared to be down to some familiar schools in West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Penn State.

West Virginia was the first program to offer Raines last year and developed a tight bond with him throughout the course of the process.

While the Mountaineers were heavily involved throughout, things started shifting in recent months as both the scheme fit and connection to the program continued to grow.

Raines was recruited by safeties coach Matt Caponi along with defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and head coach Dana Holgorsen as the coaching staff placed a high priority on the talented safety. Raines made multiple visits to Morgantown over the past couple seasons which also played a role.

Given his versatile skill set, Raines could end up at several different spots in the Mountaineers 3-3-5 defense and also had collected offers from Florida, LSU, Virginia Tech, TCU, Kentucky, Louisville, South Carolina, California, Wisconsin and a number of others.