Wallingford (Ct.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive lineman Charlie Katarincic had held West Virginia in high regard since first receiving an offer from the program in January.

“It was always in the back of my head that was a place that was going to be super appealing to me no matter who else offered me,” he said.

But his mind was made up after a self-guided tour to Morgantown this week.

Katarincic, 6-foot-5, 285-pounds, had already taken a virtual visit to see what all the Mountaineers had to offer but decided to make the trek down to campus to get a feel for things in person. While he wasn’t able to tour the facilities or speak to any coaches, it did affirm his thoughts on the school.

That made his choice an easy one to commit to the Mountaineers.

“I don’t think I possibly could have left that place without saying that wasn’t the place for me and it didn’t feel like home,” he said.

Offensive line coach Matt Moore has been the lead recruiter for Katarincic and he has been able to cultivate a strong bond with him throughout the process considering he would be his position coach. A native of the Pittsburgh area, Katarincic plays his high school football at Choate and being able to stay closer to home was something that was important to him.

But even more importantly was what he was able to see on campus.

“You can tell immediately when you get there the whole state and especially Morgantown is all about West Virginia football and basketball and the school in general all the time,” he said. “The point the coaches made to me that definitely resonated and I saw that when I was there.”

The Rivals.com three-star prospect could play either guard or tackle at the college level and that versatility is something that attracted the coaching staff. At this stage, he isn’t sure where he will end up, but he is excited to see how he develops before arriving on campus.

Katarincic becomes the second commitment for West Virginia in the 2022 class and the first true offensive lineman in the group. He plans to now shut down his recruitment and focus on preparing for his spring practice and then ultimately a senior year this fall.

“I just felt I would really fit in well on campus and with the team,” he said.

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