Examining WVU and in-state recruiting in 2017 and beyond

For a state not traditionally known to produce top end high school football prospects, the class of 2017 was quite a different story for West Virginia prep football.

A total of seven prospects have already received scholarship offers from multiple power five programs. While several others are generating interest from college programs.

While that number doesn’t seem all-that significant when compared to neighboring states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland when you consider there had only been five prospects in the last five years to accomplish that feat it starts to put things into perspective.

It’s an unprecedented year for talent in the Mountain State and while that is a fact that should bring a smile to residents of the state much of the conversation in this cycle has centered around the success, or lack thereof, of West Virginia recruiting its in-state talent.

For a program that does almost all of its heavy lifting outside of the state of West Virginia, the questions have centered around how the Mountaineers weren’t able to protect their home turf. Easy to say that on the surface but recruiting is a lot like an onion. There are layers.

Out of those seven, the Mountaineers have secured verbal commitments from a pair of legacy prospects in Morgantown linebacker Maverick Wolfley and Fairmont Senior defensive lineman Darius Stills.

But the other five West Virginia prospects have committed to out of state programs with South Charleston safety Derrek Pitts choosing Penn State, Spring Valley offensive lineman Riley Locklear (Tennessee), Huntington offensive lineman Billy Ross (North Carolina), Capital linebacker Dorian Etheridge (Louisville) and Point Pleasant offensive lineman Seth Stewart (LSU).

Some of that group considered West Virginia more heavily than others but what’s behind this movement and is it actually a trend over the years? I look at the issue.

First stop on the tour is the history of in-state recruiting. Yes, it’s not unheard of for talented West Virginia prospects to go to college elsewhere just look at previous examples such as Curt Warner, Randy Moss and even in recent history with Ryan Switzer – but it hasn’t been as common as it’s been assumed.

Especially as of late.

Looking at the Rivals.com recruiting database since 2004, West Virginia has offered a total of 26 prospects inside its own state borders not including the 2017 cycle. Out of those 26 prospects a total of 21 of them have eventually committed and signed with the Mountaineers.

For comparisons sake, fellow in-state program Marshall has signed a total of 11 prospects in that span.

Those five that choose elsewhere? The aforementioned George Washington wide receiver Switzer to North Carolina, Capital athlete Tyrhee Pratt (Charlotte), Musselman kicker Corey Smith (Alabama), Bridgeport punter Conner Kornbrath (Iowa) and Parkersburg running back Allan Wasonga (Marshall).

Looking at that list further Pratt was once committed to the Mountaineers before the two parted ways and Smith would eventually transfer back to West Virginia to finish his career.

So what’s the difference this year?

Pinpointing one issue isn’t easy. Recruiting is a game that often operates behind closed doors and finding one answer to something this broad stroke isn’t going to happen.

So let’s examine some of the common themes attached to when a prospect goes elsewhere. One of the most popular in recent years has been that West Virginia has not offered early enough. But that begs the question what exactly is early enough? From my experiences covering recruiting this does not seem to be as big of a factor in most states as it is often cited here as rationale for prospects choosing elsewhere.

Take several examples over the years going against West Virginia with in-state programs offering players as late as January of their senior seasons and then flipping from their commitments. Look no further than defensive lineman Robert Landers who flipped to Ohio State after the Buckeyes offered in December of 2014.

Adding more support against this notion is that each of those five in-state prospects in the 2017 cycle received an offer from West Virginia before the school they eventually ended up committing to.

So obviously it wasn’t too late for those programs, was it?

Another misconception is that top talent always leaves the state. Tell that to Parkersburg offensive lineman Josh Jenkins, the only Rivals250 prospect in state during that time period (04-17), who had scholarship offers from schools such as Ohio State, Florida State and Michigan. West Virginia was a good fit for him and it was for others with power five offers during that same time span too.

Location has been another used to explain why prospects in Huntington and the Kanawha Valley have elected to leave the state to pursue their college opportunities this recruiting cycle.

This just simply doesn’t hold water either as the Mountaineers have had plenty of success there even recently with players like fullback Elijah Wellman (Spring Valley), tight end Cody Clay (George Washington) and defensive end Reese Donahue (Cabell Midland) all committing to the football program shortly after receiving a scholarship offer from West Virginia in their recruitments.

Now obviously there are more hurdles being outside the shadow of Morgantown when it comes to attracting in-state talent and it’s something even Wellman addressed when asked about the exodus of talent this cycle out of the Mountain State.

“Some kids don’t grow up in a West Virginia family that is all West Virginia. Mine was one but some of those kids aren’t big West Virginia fans. Some want to go other places out of West Virginia and get out of the state. But I was trying to stay here and play for my state. But they might have other teams they’ve been fans of their whole life,” Wellman said.

Another reasoning being used is the current state of the contract of the West Virginia coaches. That also is hard to support one way or the other because of how much of the process is smoke and mirrors. But a good way to silence that doubt is for the football team to win big this fall.

Ultimately the answer to this question simply comes down to preference. College coaches can offer and recruit but in the end it only matters where that prospect wants to go to school. It doesn’t matter where they are from, how hard they’re recruited or local pressures. It’s a matter of comfort level.

At his recent college announcement, Derrek Pitts cited that Penn State was the better choice for his family. Hard to argue that logic. Other in-state prospects have cited similiar reasons about fit and where they felt most at home.

It happens every year in every state, players will leave and find the best fit for them.

That concept has been the backbone of the West Virginia football program for decades hoping to draw talent from Florida, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and other states.

That is what the recruiting process is all about showcasing your school and doing it better than others. It's also imporant to remember that staying home isn't for everybody as some want to explore what else is out there.

While obviously not an ideal situation for the Mountaineers coaching staff in the class of 2017, it’s important to remember that one year does not make a trend.

West Virginia was the first program to offer both Fairmont Senior 2018 defensive end Dante Stills and Spring Valley 2019 offensive lineman Doug Nester, players that already have multiple power five offers, and there are several others that will be on the radar moving forward in-state in future years.

Anybody that follows recruiting also knows that it is a marathon not a race. Each of the prospects reserve the right to change their mind at any time and that means that the West Virginia coaches still have chances to improve on their batting average in the in-state class of 2017 moving forward.