Marcellus: It was always WVU
Immokalee (Fla.) wide receiver Jacky Marcellus became the latest prospect to cast his lot with the Mountaineers becoming the 12th commitment in the class of 2013 Friday afternoon.
Marcellus, 5-foot-8, 175-pounds is projected as a slot receiver for West Virginia and selected the Mountaineers over offers from Cincinnati, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Connecticut, and Minnesota, among others. But for Marcellus is was always West Virginia.
Advertisement
"Ever since middle schools I've always wanted to play for them. I first dressed up in sixth grade and knew It was going to be West Virginia. I loved the way Steve Slaton ran and I loved to watch all the backs and the way they ran their offense," he said.
Marcellus wanted to impresses the West Virginia coaching staff so much during the spring that when lead recruiter Erik Slaughter visited his school he actually hurt himself trying too hard.
"He told me he loved the way I played and they were going to offer," he said. "Since I got the offer I put them on top but I didn't really want to tell everyone that they were on top."
He had originally planned to come down for a visit for the one-day camp at the end of July, but that had to be canceled and he instead focused on an official visit. If that visit would of happened, a commitment would have been a done deal at that point, Marcellus said.
But after talking it over with his family and head coach Marcellus quickly realized there was no reason to wait.
"I kept on waking up and thinking about West Virginia and seeing myself in the uniform," he said. "I don't see myself playing anywhere else."
So he then gave the call to the coaching staff and his enthusiasm was only matched by theirs.
"I talked to Coach (Dana) Holgorsen and he was excited and he loves me on film and thinks I can come in and replace Tavon Austin," he said. "It's great. I talked to offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and coach Slaughter."
Even without seeing the campus, Marcellus considers himself a very solid commitment and doesn't plan any visits expect to check out West Virginia this fall. He plans to enroll next summer and is relieved to have the recruiting process behind him.
"I can trust the coaches and I know so much right now I feel like when I get up there I'm going to love it even more," he said.