The West Virginia football program doesn’t currently have a head coach with the firing of Neal Brown, but the early signing period is still coming.
The period which opens Dec. 4-6 is an opportunity for high school prospects to formally sign with their respective schools and effectively bring their recruitment to a close.
West Virginia has been active despite the shift and early returns have been quite positive heading into the date. It's clear that the Mountaineers are working hard.
The football program has received a series of good news with Mentor (Oh.) 2025 quarterback Scotty Fox, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Eidan Buchanan, Nashville (Tn.) Lipscomb Academy 2025 defensive lineman Amir Leonard-Jean Charles, Upper Marlboro (Md.) Wise 2025 defensive lineman Taylor Brown, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern 2025 defensive end Wilnerson Telemaque, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Gavin Crawford, De Forest (Wi.) 2025 tight end Jackson Accuardi, Parma (Oh.) Padua Franciscan 2025 offensive lineman Brandon Homady and Cincinnati (Oh.) La Salle 2025 offensive tackle Jahmir Davis announced their intentions to sign with the program Wednesday.
There could be more coming as well as player such as Lakeland (Fla.) 2025 defensive back Sammy Etienne has announced that he remains committed but is listening to other schools and more could be in the same boat.
And while Brown is gone and the search for his replacement is already underway, the remainder of the Mountaineers coaching staff is working to try to keep recruits in the boat. And so far it's been quite an impressive job.
That is no easy task given the uncertainty with the program, but with the signing period only a few days away it’s the primary focus to ensure that the new head coach steps into a favorable situation.
But it hasn't all been positive.
The Mountaineers have already experienced a lot of movement with Tampa (Fla.) Gaither 2025 cornerback Serious Stinyard and Huntingtown (Md.) 2025 defensive lineman Evan Powell both backing off their commitments to the program after losing several more in the days leading up to Brown’s dismissal.
In the last week, Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork 2025 cornerback Elgin Sessions flipped his pledge to Georgia Tech and Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal 2025 safety Terrance Edwards switched his to Michigan State.
A coaching change at this point can be challenging with the calendar but a new head coach could also bring new prospects into the fold from his previous stop or players he was recruiting elsewhere.
There also is the added bonus of the transfer portal which opens Dec. 9 to help offset some of the losses that could be experienced in the normal wake of a coaching move.
Still, a class that was essentially complete outside of a few potential late additions now enters a pivotal stretch with at least some uncertainty. That’s not ever a reason not to make a coaching move, but it certainly complicates matters given the tight timeline at this stage of things.
Just who and how many of the current commitment list end up signing with West Virginia will be an interesting development to track but the early signing period isn’t waiting. And the fight to keep the bulk of the class in place is underway.
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