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Relationships matter on the recruiting trail and that certainly was the case for Tallahassee (Fla.) Chiles quarterback Garrett Greene with his commitment to West Virginia.
Greene, 6-foot-0, 175-pounds, had just received an offer from the Mountaineers over the weekend but had been recruited by several of the coaches on the staff for quite some time. While serving as the head coach at Troy, Neal Brown was the first to extend a scholarship offer to Greene.
All in all, Brown as well as quarterbacks coach Sean Reagan recruited Greene for around 15-months and he made three visits to check out the Trojans football program. That only carried over once they moved to Morgantown in January as the coaching staff was able to get him back on campus March 2 for a visit.
“It was a great place. The people there, the staff made it feel like a family and I think it’s just a great city that really cares about Mountaineer football,” he said. “I think it’s huge they’ve got the backing of the whole state. But that family vibe was the same.”
At the tail end of that trip Brown personally informed Greene that the Mountaineers were going to offer him a scholarship, something that stuck out to the signal caller.
“I was really excited because I have the chance to play here and it’s just a great opportunity,” he said. “They believed in me then and they still believe in me.”
Both Brown, as well as Reagan served as the lead recruiter for Greene but due to those already well-established bonds the transition wasn’t a difficult one for the Mountaineers to get involved. So much so that only a few days after the visit Greene was ready to end the process and commit to Brown and the coaching staff.
Greene bypassed offers from TCU, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, South Florida, among others, while a number of schools had cranked up their interest level in recent weeks.
The Florida native was coveted by the coaches in large part because of his familiarity with them as well as how he fits into the Mountaineers offensive scheme. Greene is an athletic quarterback that gets the ball out of his hands quickly and is equipped with a strong arm to make all the necessary throws. That is exactly what the West Virginia coaches were searching for at the position in this cycle.
Greene finished his junior season with 1,227 passing yards and a dozen touchdowns, while also rushing for 854 yards and eight more scores for his high school team. He is set to be an early enrollee.
The commitment of Greene gives the Mountaineers an all-valuable pledge at the quarterback spot in this class and is the second overall this week to pick West Virginia after Danville (Ky.) Boyle County wide receiver Reese Smith who all visited over the weekend.
WVSports.com will have more with Greene in the near future on his choice.
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