Six JUCO players that made their mark with West Virginia football
WVSports.com has already looked at the top 15 rated players to sign with West Virginia and how their careers turned out in Morgantown as well as ten players that were diamonds in the rough.
Today, we dive into six junior college prospects during the Rivals.com era (2002-19) that made the most of their limited time with the football program on the field of play with the Mountaineers.
This group consists only those players that were listed int he Rivals.com database.
CLICK HERE TO LOOK AT THE TOP 15 RATED TO SIGN WITH WEST VIRGINIA
So without further delay here are six impact junior college players.
Rivals Ranking: Four-star, 5.9
Recruitment: Irvin bounced around to several schools in his recruitment such as Tennessee and Arizona State, but eventually ended up at West Virginia as a junior college pass rusher that was projected to make a difference immediately.
Career: There was no question that he did just that. Irvin had two monster years in Morgantown finishing with 61 tackles and 23 sacks during that time and was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Irvin is still playing in the NFL as a pass rushing threat off the edge. One of the true home runs on the list, Irvin was not only loved on the field but away from it as he has became one of the most endearing players in recent memory.
Ranking: Four-star, 5.8
Recruitment: West Virginia offered Douglas early in the process jumping into the picture in the off-season before his second year of junior college. The program stuck with him throughout as well and he established a strong bond with then cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell. He would take a visit for the TCU game and while he made stops at Rutgers and Louisville it would be the Mountaineers that won out for the junior college all-American on the early junior college signing day.
Career: Things started off a little rocky for Douglas as due to finishing up academic work he wasn't able to enroll in school until late August which limited his on the field activities. He made up for that in a big way in year two by becoming a starter and one of the best cornerbacks in the nation with eight interceptions. He would then go on to be drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Ranking: Four-star, 5.8
Recruitment: West Virginia was the first school to offer White, the youngest of the White brothers and the assumption was that he would follow Kevin and Ka'Raun to Morgantown. But it wasn't quite that easy. White was the most heavily recruited of the three and received offers from USC, Oklahoma, Penn State and many others as he'd take multiple visits. White would commit to West Virginia in the summer prior to his second season at junior college but the Mountaineers still had to fight off multiple other programs to ultimately secure his signature for good.
Career: White made an impact from the jump and definitely lived up to his billing even with the spotlight on him for most of the process. White settled in at the hybrid spur spot in the West Virginia defense and started all 25 games he played over his two years with the program. He finished with 152 tackles, 4 sacks and 3 interceptions before being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL draft.
Ranking: Three-star, 5.7
Recruitment: Sills is absolutely the most interesting and quite honestly most unexpected on this list. He originally signed with West Virginia as a four-star quarterback out of high school but made his way onto the field as a true freshman at wide receiver with his surprising athleticism and skill at that spot. He made the game-winning catch in the Cactus Bowl but decided he wanted to give quarterback another shot and transferred to a junior college in California to follow that dream. After a season he decided to accept a new position and returned to Morgantown after a conversation with then head coach Dana Holgorsen.
Career: It turned out that was the right decision for Sills as he finished as a Biletnikoff Finalist in his first year with the program and hauled in just under 2,000 yards and 34 touchdowns in his two seasons at the position. Sills became one of the primary red zone options in the nation and one of the most fascinating stories in all of college football given his background as a quarterback prodigy at one time. He went surprisingly undrafted and signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Ranking: Three-star, 5.6
Recruitment: The first of the White trio had a quiet recruiting process compared to his brother as Texas Tech and West Virginia. He would take an official visit to Morgantown and commit shortly after giving the program a big outside wide receiver with explosion.
Career: White didn't make a major impact in his first year but there were flashes turning 35 catches into 507 yards and five scores. There was little doubt that West Virginia had uncovered a superior talent in his second season dominating games with his size and ability to make a play on the ball in the air while finishing with 109 catches for 1,447 yards and a total of 10 touchdowns. That would lead to White being selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the NFL Draft the following April.
Ranking: Three-star, 5.5
Recruitment: West Virginia had zeroed in on a different offensive tackle at the time but that didn't work out and Glowinski was there for the taking. South Florida, Kansas State and some others were the competition but after a visit to campus in January that was enough to seal the deal and land the junior college lineman led by the efforts of then offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh.
Career: After redshirting his first year on campus, Glowinski was a two-year starter for the Mountaineers and quickly became one of the most consistent options on the entire unit. His play earned him a fourth round selection by the Seattle Seahawks and eventually he signed with the Indianapolis Colts, who gave him a lucrative extension.
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