Legacy DL Thornton commits to WVU
West Virginia received a major boost in its 2019 recruiting efforts from a familiar last name in Cincinnati (Oh.) Indian Hill defensive end Jalen Thornton Friday afternoon.
Thornton, 6-foot-3, 245-pounds, made his announcement bypassing offers from other programs such as Kentucky, Iowa State, Cincinnati and several others in addition to interest from Michigan.
The son of former West Virginia defensive lineman John, who played for the Mountaineers from 1995-98 before having a professional career, the younger Thornton will now follow in his footsteps in Morgantown along the defensive front.
"It's home you know. It hit me that I want to go to a school that wants me as a player and a person," he said.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect first earned an offer from West Virginia following an impressive performance at the Mountaineers one-day camp this past summer and has been in close contact with the coaching staff since that point.
Defensive line coach Bruce Tall served as the lead recruiter and he has been to campus multiple times including most recently for the junior day event.
Thornton becomes the first defensive line commitment for West Virginia in the current class and represents the fourth overall pledge for the Mountaineers this cycle.
WVSports.com will have more on the commitment of Thornton in the near future.
