Meet the West Virginia Mountaineers football 2020 commitments
Get to know each of the West Virginia Mountaineers football commitments in the 2020 recruiting class with this feature from WVSports.com.
Committed: August 16, 2019
West Virginia looked at a large number of tight end prospects in the 2020 class but it was Wayne (N.J.) De Paul Catholic athlete Charles Finley that rose to the top of the board. The versatile athlete visited Morgantown multiple times and developed a strong connection with lead recruiter Travis Trickett which was critical in his decision making process. Finley made a return trip to Morgantown for the July 25 cookout and that was enough to put the program at the forefront of his recruitment for good. He would pick West Virginia over offers from Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Boston College and several others giving the program the coveted tight end they wanted in the class.
Links:
WVU lands versatile tight end Finley
Commitment 101: Charles Finley
Rivals Analyst: WVU football commit Finley possesses 'so much potential'
Committed: July 9, 2019
West Virginia was the first scholarship offer for Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. nose guard Quay Mays in late February and that also played a pivotal role in his recruitment. Other scholarships would follow from programs such as Iowa State, North Carolina, Central Florida and Houston, among others, but the connection he made with position coach Jordan Lesley helped make the difference. Mays visited Morgantown officially June 14 and while he took a trip to Iowa State the following weekend the fit with what he wanted to do at nose guard as well as the family connection made the Mountaineers the pick. Mays wouldn't announce his choice until July 9, but he is a nose guard with two years left and will enroll in January.
Links:
Coach: Mays has plenty of potential
DL Mays takes WVU official visit, decision near
JUCO DL Mays gets 'dream offer' from West Virginia
Committed: July 8, 2019
Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins linebacker Taurus Simmons received an offer from West Virginia in early May which got his attention. But after he took an official visit to West Virginia during the June 14 weekend and was able to see it all for himself, the Mountaineers moved to right at the top of his list. Still, he took a few weeks to think it over before announcing a commitment to the football program July 8 after pledging a few days before. A versatile linebacker, Simmons is being recruited to play the bandit position in the Mountaineers scheme and has the size and athleticism to possible even develop further down the line as he grows into his body.
Links:
LB Simmons on board with West Virginia Mountaineers football
Commitment 101: Taurus Simmons
Committed: June 24, 2019
Council Bluffs (Ia.) Iowa Western C.C. offensive tackle Jacob Gamble became a priority of the West Virginia coaches after taking a visit for junior day in late March where he earned an offer from the program. A native of Ohio, the draw of staying close to home and the opportunities available in Morgantown made the Big 12 Conference program a strong competitor throughout the course of Gamble's recruitment despite more offers to follow such as Florida State and Nebraska. After another visit to campus in mid-June, the junior college prospect announced his commitment a few days later giving the program a ready-made option to step in at left tackle. He will have two years of eligibility remaining and is set to graduate from junior college in December meaning he can enroll at the mid-term.
Links:
JUCO OL Gamble adds surprise WVU offer after spring visit
Committed: June 22, 2019
One of the top priorities for West Virginia on the offensive line from the time that the new coaching staff over was Hightstown (N.J.) The Peddie School offensive lineman Chris Mayo. Running backs Chad Scott offered Mayo almost immediately after taking the job in Morgantown and was the first coach to express interest in the offensive lineman when he was a freshman. A junior day stop in February only further reinforced that the Mountaineers were going to be major players in his recruitment as he was able to see the family environment first-hand. The Rivals.com four-star prospect would narrow his list down to a top eight but only take official visits to Kentucky, Purdue and finally West Virginia on the June 14 weekend. After that trip he narrowed his list down to West Virginia and Kentucky and ultimately committed to the Mountaineers due largely to his comfort level with the culture of the program. He is slated to play offensive tackle or guard and is expected to arrive next summer.
Links:
Four-star OL Mayo commits to WVU
Mayo finds his fit at West Virginia
After WVU official, four-star Mayo down to two schools
Mayo has questions answered on visit to WVU
Committed: June 20, 2019
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown made in-state recruiting a priority from the minute he took over the football program and those efforts paid off with his first scholarship pledge from inside the Mountain State borders in Fairmont offensive lineman Zach Frazier. The two-way prospect actually held an offer well before Brown arrived on campus after earning one following an impressive camp performance before his junior season and the Mountaineers recruited him hard moving forward. While the in-state program was the first offer for Frazier, he also added scholarships from Stanford, Virginia Tech, Louisville and others. Ultimately the relationships forged with Brown and the new coaches, as well as the proximity led to his commitment on of all days West Virginia day.
Links:
In-state lineman Frazier picks WVU
Frazier knew WVU was the 'right decision'
In-state lineman Frazier has another positive experience at WVU
Committed: June 18, 2019
It's not often that West Virginia goes international for football recruits but that is exactly what happened in securing the commitment of Filton (England) cornerback Jairo Faverus. A native of Amsterdam, Faverus was part of a college tour of international prospects that brought him to West Virginia for a camp June 14. His impressive performance there was enough to earn him an offer from the Big 12 Conference program joining a list of Penn State, Minnesota and a number of others. A few days later Faverus decided to make the call and commit to the Mountaineers due to his comfort level with the staff and how he could make an impact. He is set to enroll in January and will have his full complement of eligibility remaining.
Links:
WVU adds commitment from European cornerback Faverus
Committed: June 16, 2019
Things moved quickly between West Virginia and Gaithersburg (Md.) Watkins Mill cornerback David Okoli. The Mountaineers had expressed interest but after a camp stop June 7 where he was impressive not only with his speed but his coverage ability, the Maryland native received an offer from West Virginia. A week to the day he took an official visit to West Virginia where he saw all he needed to see committing to the program at the end of the trip. Since that decision other schools such as Maryland have offered but he has declared that his recruitment is a closed book.
Links:
Maryland athlete Okoli commits to West Virginia
Athlete Okoli earns WVU offer after impressive camp stop
Committed: June 16, 2019
West Virginia initially offered St. Louis (Mo.) De Smet pass rusher Lanell Carr in February and there was interest between the two due to prior connections with offensive recruiting coordinator Scott Gasper from his time at another school. But things really picked up between the two after the spring evaluation period and the coaches were able to see him in-person. Carr had West Virginia and Kansas State as the two favorites in his recruitment and he visited both programs in the same week. First up was an unofficial trip to check out the Wildcats before making an official visit to Morgantown during the June 14 weekend. That was enough for him to make the call and commit to the Mountaineers. He is expected to enroll in the summer with his full eligibility in tact and the pass rusher could end up at linebacker or defensive line.
Links:
Pass rusher Carr commits to WVU
Coach Talk: WVU commit Carr 'plays football the way it should be played'
Missouri pass rusher Carr planning WVU summer official visit
Committed: May 28, 2019
Council Bluffs (Ia.) Iowa Western C.C. outside linebacker S.L. McCall received an offer from West Virginia in April and immediately moved to the forefront of his recruitment. At the time of the offer McCall referred to it as a dream offer and he didn't take long to schedule an unofficial visit to campus at the end of May. That trip was all McCall needed to see in order to end his recruitment and commit to West Virginia. The Florida native has three years of eligibility remaining when he graduates this December and is set to enroll at West Virginia in January. The athletic prospect is slated to play the hybrid bandit spot.
Links:
JUCO pass rusher McCall makes WVU his pick
JUCO LB McCall has best football ahead of him
JUCO LB McCall adds 'dream offer' from West Virginia
Committed: April 13, 2019
Bay City (Mi.) Central wide receiver Devell Washington had an offer from West Virginia prior to his junior day visit in February but that is when his recruitment changed. The visit really impressed Washington and the Mountaineers immediately became one of the major players in his recruitment due to the gut feeling he had about the program. At one point he considered a commitment to Purdue but after returning to Morgantown for the Gold-Blue game April 13 he saw enough to end his recruitment and commit to West Virginia. He returned to campus for a camp in June.
Links:
Commitment 101: Devell Washington
Michigan WR Washington finds perfect fit at WVU
Washington has 'gut feeling' about WVU, coaches
Committed: March 7, 2019
The West Virginia coaches were well aware of what Tallahassee (Fla.) Chiles quarterback Garrett Greene brought to the table after seeing him in camp at Troy and being the first school to offer him. A number of other offers followed but West Virginia jumped into the picture with an offer following his visit to campus for a junior day in early March. That offer along with his relationship with the coaches led to Greene committing to the Mountaineers football program a few days later bypassing a number of power five offers. Since his commitment, Greene has become a vocal recruiter in the class and his stock has only continued to rise earning MVP of the Rivals Camp Series stop in Tampa and then competing in the Elite 11 finals. He is expected to enroll at West Virginia in January and returned back to Morgantown in June to compete in a camp. Greene is set to enroll at West Virginia in January.
Links:
Commitment 101: Garrett Greene
Greene on WVU commitment: 'This is it for me'
WVU QB commit Greene has 'a chance to be a special quarterback'
QB Greene taking active recruiting role to help build WVU class
WVU QB commit Greene selected to compete in Elite 11 Finals
Committed: March 4, 2019
Danville (Ky.) Boyle County wide receiver Reese Smith was one of the first, if not the first, offer made by Neal Brown when he took the job at West Virginia. He attends the same high school that Brown once did and that connection helped things from the start. Smith took his first visit to Morgantown shortly after the end of the dead period and was highly impressed with the program. Despite other power five offers, Smith came back to West Virginia in early March and decided that he was ready to commit to the Mountaineers being the first in the class to do so. He is likely to enroll in January and will play inside wide receiver for the program once he arrives on campus.
Links:
Reese Smith chooses West Virginia
Smith's coach: 'One of the best'
2020 WR Smith now thinks highly of WVU after campus stop
Smith impressed with the speed of WVU offer after Brown hiring
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