Relationships key for Crawford in West Virginia commitment
For Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Gavin Crawford the decision to commit to West Virginia was one that was made over an extended period of time.
Crawford, 6-foot-4, 300-pounds, received his second scholarship offer from the Mountaineers in January of 2023 and things only continued to build from that point.
Offensive line coach Matt Moore, secondary coach ShaDon Brown and head coach Neal Brown all played key roles in the process and what stuck out to Crawford was the effort made outside of the basic recruiting pitches that coaches often throw at prospects.
“Just being able to connect with them and have a real relationship with them outside of football. Just being able to talk about our lives and our families,” he said. “It’s been really important.”
The Rivals.com three-star prospect made a number of trips to Morgantown to see the campus and familiarize himself with not only the school but those within the program. And it was on his last trip to campus where he realized that he had seen enough.
“It really stuck out to me that they really wanted me as a part of their team and their program,” he said.
Crawford was impressed with the family atmosphere in Morgantown on each of his trips and the coaching staff made it clear that they had a plan for him if he would choose the Mountaineers.
“They know what they want from me coming in and that’s to get ready and hit the ground running. They had three back-to-back-to-back freshman all-Americans on the o-line so I know that’s a great thing. They get their guys in and they play guys early,” he said.
On the field, Crawford is a mauler as an interior offensive lineman and the coaching staff was impressed with his combination of strength, athleticism and intelligence at the position.
It didn’t hurt matters that two other offensive linemen that Crawford played with were committed to the Mountaineers in 2024 signee center Kyle Altuner and 2025 offensive tackle Eidan Buchanan. That pair admittedly played a major role in opening his eyes to the program.
“They were peer pressuring me every day to head down and see what it’s all about,” he said.
And Crawford is certainly glad that he did.
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