Meet the West Virginia Mountaineers football 2021 commitments
Get to know each of the West Virginia Mountaineers football commitments in the 2021 recruiting class with this feature from WVSports.com.
Committed: October 23, 2020
Auburndale (Fla.) safety Aubrey Burks had been committed to Indiana for much of the process, but backed off that pledge in early October and committed to the Mountaineers only a few weeks later. The talented safety also held offers from North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and a host of others but felt that West Virginia offered him the best opportunity at the next level. The Mountaineers weren't newcomers to the process as they originally offered in April and secondary coach Jahmile Addae was the lead recruiter. Gives the Mountaineers a versatile option in the secondary.
DB Burks commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: October 2, 2020
Cocoa (Fla.) athlete Davis Mallinger had been committed to Central Florida since April but West Virginia was able to continue working his recruitment and eventually secured a flip of his commitment. Mallinger is an athletic specimen that could play safety or wide receiver at the next level although he is likely to start on the defensive side of the ball. Mallinger also held offers from South Carolina, Mississippi State, Illinois and Rutgers but the pursuit of running backs coach Chad Scott paid off in his pledge.
ATH Mallinger commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Commitment 101: Davis Mallinger
Committed: September 27, 2020
Edwardsville (Ill.) running back Justin Johnson was one of the top targets identified for West Virginia at his position and after a long recruitment the Mountaineers were able to secure his commitment. The Rivals.com four-star prospect narrowed down his choices to West Virginia, California, Michigan State, Louisville, Minnesota and Washington State but ultimately his connection to the Mountaineers proved to be the difference. The versatile running back had developed a strong connection with running backs coach Chad Scott and took a pair of visits to Morgantown prior to the dead period in order to see everything that the program had to offer. This was a long, thought out choice with the Mountaineers simply having comfort level on their side over the other options. Johnson represents the second four-star back in the class to pick the Mountaineers and offers a versatile skill set moving into the future.
Rivals250 RB Johnson commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Commitment 101: Justin Johnson
RB Johnson talks West Virginia football, overall recruitment
Rivals250 RB Johnson has "beyond amazing" return visit to West Virginia
Committed August 5, 2020
Miami (Fla.) Northwestern linebacker Ja'Corey Hammett had been committed to Miami since January but West Virginia never let up in their pursuit. Those efforts paid off with Hammett electing to flip his pledge to the Mountaineers in August. The talented linebacker was recruited primarily by inside wide receivers coach Travis Trickett and developed a close connection with him that led to his pledge. Hammett also held offers from Florida State, Nebraska, Maryland, Arkansas and a number of others.
Miami pass rusher Hammett flips commitment to West Virginia football
Commitment 101: Ja'Corey Hammett
Hammett follows heart to West Virginia football
Committed: June 29, 2020
Finland defensive end Edward Vesterinen picked up several different offers from Baylor, Massachusetts and Coastal Carolina but West Virginia moved to the front of the pack once they got involved. Head Coach Neal Brown passed his film onto defensive line coach Jordan Lesley and things moved quickly from there as the Mountaineers got him on a virtual visit and introduced him to the program. A product of PPI Recruits, Vesterinen found his fit in Morgantown and committed shortly after receiving the offer. At 6-foot-4, 255-pounds, he could slot at several different positions but will begin his career as a strong side defensive end in Morgantown. Is slated to enroll in August.
European DL Vesterinen commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: June 8, 2020
Brunswick (Oh.) offensive lineman Tomas Rimac picked West Virginia over a number of offers including Iowa State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue and more. The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder, selected the program in large part because of his connection with the coaches, led by offensive line coach Matt Moore, and how the Mountaineers made him a priority. The talented prospect worked out for the coaches at last season’s big man camp and garnered attention for his athleticism and feet at his size. Rimac then saw his recruitment take off and the Mountaineers made it clear that they wanted to add him to the class. The addition gives a perfect complement to what the Mountaineers already had in Milum and another talented tackle body on the roster to develop in the future.
Ohio OL Rimac commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: June 6, 2020
Germantown (Md.) Northwest wide receiver Kaden Prather was one of the top targets for West Virginia in the 2021 class and the Mountaineers were able to fend off a host of programs to secure his pledge. While he had narrowed things down to a top five which also included Penn State, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Maryland he held other offers from schools like LSU, Ohio State, Auburn, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee and more. Prather first received an offer from West Virginia last summer and remained a priority from that point forward making multiple visits to see the campus as well as developing a strong bond with the coaching staff. Prather was especially close with offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, who had originally been recruiting him at Penn State but came to Morgantown in January. That connection as well as his comfort level with the school and how he would be used led to the Mountaineers securing a major piece of the puzzle in the class.
WR Prather picks West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: May 28, 2020
Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek defensive end Brayden Dudley had collected several power five offers but felt comfortable enough with West Virginia to pull the trigger. The versatile defensive lineman first received an offer from the Mountaineers in January and was able to make a visit to campus in March to see what the program had to offer. From there, the Big 12 Conference program outlasted a number of other opportunities including Michigan State and Iowa State. Dudley can slot at several different spots on the defensive line and built a strong connection with the coaches.
DL Dudley commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: May 19, 2020
Jackson (Oh.) tight end Treylan Davis originally committed to Cincinnati but once West Virginia entered the picture the Mountaineers made quite the impression. He would then back off his pledge to the Bearcats and after some time to simmer things over made the decision to pledge to West Virginia. Inside wide receivers coach Travis Trickett played a pivotal role in the pursuit of Davis and the two developed a strong relationship that led to his eventual decision to commit to the Mountaineers. He fills the need of a second tight end pledge in the class with a big athletic pass catching option.
TE Davis commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: April 16, 2020
Perry (Oh.) athlete Jaylen Anderson had offers from Florida, Nebraska, Michigan State, Duke, Iowa, Louisville, Iowa State, Maryland and Minnesota among others but ultimately committed to West Virginia due to his comfort level with the program. Anderson made multiple visits to campus including for a junior day event Feb. 1 and developed a strong bond with several of those on staff including position coach Chad Scott. Anderson competed at the Mountaineers one-day camp last summer and impressed with his overall skill set moving up on the board at the position.
RB Anderson commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: April 10, 2020
Dublin (Oh.) Coffman defensive end Hammond Russell committed to West Virginia despite a budding recruitment that continues to attract offers from power five programs. For the 6-foot-3, 235-pound, prospect it simply came down to comfort level and his connection with the coaching staff notably tight ends coach Travis Trickett and defensive line coach Jordan Lesley. Russell picked the Mountaineers over other offers from Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Iowa State, Georgia Tech, Minnesota and Illinois, among others while receiving interest from even more. The Ohio defensive end established a strong connection after making multiple visits to campus including for the March 7 junior day event. That and his connection with the coaching staff was enough to put the Big 12 Conference program at the forefront of his recruitment when it came time to make a decision.
DL Russell picks West Virginia Mountaineers football
Russell makes the call for the Mountaineers
Committed: April 7, 2020
Birmingham (Ala.) Gardendale quarterback Will Crowder received an offer from West Virginia early in the process but things really started to pick up once he took an unofficial visit for the Jan. 19 junior day event. That was an eye-opening trip for the talented signal caller and he would make a return trip for the March 7 date. The Mountaineers emerged as the leader over other offers from Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Iowa State, Vanderbilt and Boise State leading to a pledge from the Alabama native at the beginning of April. Crowder had emerged as the clear front runner at the position and gives the Mountaineers a very talented arm in the class.
QB Crowder commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Crowder impressed again with West Virginia football, return set
2021 QB Crowder has eye-opening visit to West Virginia football
Committed: March 6, 2020
Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley offensive lineman Wyatt Milum was arguably the top prospect on the board for West Virginia in the 2021 recruiting class and the effort from the coaching staff paid off with a commitment following his sixth visit to campus since last June. An impressive offensive tackle prospect that garnered offers from some of the nation's elite programs including LSU, Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State, Florida State and others, Milum developed a strong connection with the coaching staff especially offensive line coach Matt Moore and head coach Neal Brown. Milum fills an immediate need for the program along the offensive line and gives the Mountaineers even more momentum in-state after a strong showing in the 2020 cycle.
In-state Rivals250 OL Milum commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
2021 OL Milum sees a lot to like during time at West Virginia
Committed: February 1, 2020
Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Inst. Charter School safety Saint McLeod was one of the early offers for West Virginia at the defensive back spot and remained a priority. The versatile safety made multiple visits to campus and committed to the program after a junior day stop in February. Has collected a number of offers at this stage.
2021 DB McLeod commits to West Virginia Mountaineers football
Committed: January 27, 2020
Massillon (Oh.) Washington wide receiver Andrew Wilson-Lamp immediately became a priority for West Virginia after impressing at a summer camp and earning a scholarship offer from the Mountaineers. He made multiple visits after that and collected a number of other offers but West Virginia made a strong impression and that led to his commitment after another stop on campus for a junior day. Wilson-Lamp fills a need at wide receiver and checks the boxes as one of the top targets on the board.
WR Wilson-Lamp trusts the climb and commits to West Virginia football
Commitment 101: Andrew Wilson-Lamp
2021 WR Wilson-Lamp earns West Virginia offer after camp
Visit gives Wilson-Lamp complete picture view of West Virginia
Committed: July 11, 2019
Swedish tight end Victor Wikstrom earned a scholarship offer from West Virginia after making a visit to campus over the summer and participating in a one-day camp. He was one of the most impressive prospects in attendance and ended up committing to the football program after around a month to think things over. Originally a 2020 prospect, Wikstrom elected to graduate in the 2021 class and has already been back to Morgantown for an unofficial visit in December. He is expected to enroll at West Virginia in December and is a versatile tight end that could fill multiple roles at the next level.
West Virginia Mountaineers football lands 2021 TE Wikstrom
Commitment 101: Victor Wikstrom
European tight end Wikstrom competes at WVU camp and earns offer
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