The written history of the West Virginia football 2021 class
WVSports.com looks back at all of the key dates and events that unfolded when it comes to putting together the 2021 recruiting class for the Mountaineers at the late signing period.
This is a run down of the visit dates, commitments, decommitments and everything in between in chronological order.
The 2021 cycle was obviously unique in the sense that visits stopped early on in the process and there were no official visits or evaluation periods, but what unfolded?
July 7 – West Virginia lands its first commitment in the 2021 class in Stockholm (Swen.) tight end Victor Wikstrom, who had camped and earned an offer from the program earlier in the summer.
Dec. 4 – The Mountaineers offer Birmingham (Ala.) Gardendale quarterback Will Crowder. This would become significant for the class.
Dec. 8 – West Virginia hosts the first of what would be six junior day events between December and early March. Stockholm (Swen.) tight end Victor Wikstrom was in attendance along with a number of other top prospects on the board.
Dec. 14 – Another early junior day opportunity and the Mountaineers would welcome some of the top players on their radar including in-state offensive lineman Wyatt Milum. Others in attendance included Potomac (Md.) Bullis School quarterback Christian Veilleux, Wadsworth (Oh.) Walsh offensive lineman David Wohlbaugh and Radcliff (Ky.) North Hardin running back Lavell Wright.
Jan. 19 – The Mountaineers were back at it after the dead period with their third and largest junior day yet. Birmingham (Ala.) Gardendale quarterback Will Crowder made his first visit to campus and immediately became a prospect of strong interest with a near perfect trip to campus. Findlay (Oh.) Coffman defensive end Hammond Russell was another player that shot the Mountaineers up his list after the trip.
Jan. 25 – Another weekend, another talent filled junior day. Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley offensive lineman Wyatt Milum was yet again back on campus while Edwardsville (Ill.) running back Justin Johnson made his first trip to Morgantown. That experience would prove significant down the line. Massillon (Oh.) athlete Andrew Wilson-Lamp also visited that weekend and left with the program firmly entrenched as his favorite and some things to think about.
Jan. 27 – Massillon (Oh.) wide receiver Andrew Wilson-Lamp made the decision to commit to the Mountaineers giving the program two pledges in the 2021 class. The athletic prospect could play either side of the ball in college and had developed a strong bond with the coaches. It was some momentum after a series of visits.
Feb. 1 – The final junior day before the start of a month long dead period again brought out plenty of talented prospects. Perry (Oh.) running back Jaylen Anderson was one of those and Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter safety Saint McLeod was impressed so much with the experience he elected to end his recruitment and commit.
March 6 – West Virginia landed arguably its most prized prospect in the class when Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley offensive lineman Wyatt Milum made the call for the Mountaineers after a series of visits. It was the sixth time he had been in Morgantown since the summer camp season and gave the school some serious momentum choosing Neal Brown's program over many of the nation's elite.
March 7 – West Virginia hosts its final visit weekend of the entire class on the sixth and final junior day for the Mountaineers. Among those in attendance include eventual commitments Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley offensive lineman Wyatt Milum, Edwardsville (Ill.) running back Justin Johnson, Birmingham (Ala.) Gardendale quarterback Will Crowder, Germantown (Md.) Northwest wide receiver Kaden Prather, Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek defensive end Brayden Dudley and Dublin (Oh.) Coffman defensive end Hammond Russell.
March 12 – The NCAA enacts a recruiting dead period that will span for the duration of the process for the 2021 class leading into the early signing period. This ruling effectively eliminates all in-person contact with coaches, which includes visits.
April 7 – The Mountaineers snag their quarterback after Birmingham (Ala.) Gardendale quarterback Will Crowder pledged to the Mountaineers following two visits to campus. The dual-threat signal caller fit the mold that the program wanted. He became the first commitment for West Virginia since the start of the dead period.
April 10 – Another one of those visitors from the junior day circuit made the call when Dublin (Oh.) Coffman defensive end Hammond Russell picked west Virginia over offers from Michigan State, Iowa State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and more.
April 16 – The efforts of running backs coach Chad Scott paid off in a big way by landing the services of Rivals250 prospect Perry (Oh.) running back Jaylen Anderson. The talented back had offers from Florida and many of the Midwest's premier programs but felt a connection with the Mountaineers coaching staff.
May 19 – After previously being committed to Cincinnati and backing off that pledge in mid-April, the Mountaineers were able to secure their second tight end in Jackson (Oh.) athlete Treylan Davis. This was one that the program prioritized and his recruitment had started to explode with offers from Tennessee, Wisconsin and more.
May 28 – Another junior day success story as Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek defensive end Brayden Dudley informed the coaches that he was ready to become a Mountaineer. A versatile defensive lineman, Dudley can fit into several spots. He became the ninth commitment in the class.
June 6 – While Milum might have been the top overall prospect on the board, Germantown (Md.) Northwest wide receiver Kaden Prather had an argument to that spot. After multiple visits to campus and an excellent job closing by offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, Prather picked West Virginia. The four-star wide receiver had 40+ offers to his credit and the Mountaineers outlasted main competition Penn State.
June 8 – Two days later, a less heralded but critical commitment came when Brunswick (Oh.) offensive tackle Tomas Rimac pledged to the program. He had been on campus for a big man camp the previous summer and took home one of the MVP trophies but his recruitment had blossomed with Michigan, Wisconsin and others offering. Still, the connection to the Mountaineers coaches sealed the deal for the versatile tackle.
June 29 – After plucking two prospects from international waters in the 2020 class, the Mountaineers did it yet again by landing Finland defensive end Edward Vesterinen. He had quietly been on the radar for the program for quite some time after they were able to see his film and he fit into what they wanted as an older, versatile defensive lineman. Vesterinen had originally planned to enroll in August and compete as a 2020 class member, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed that to this January.
July 13 – West Virginia became the first offer to Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive lineman Nijel McGriff in the spring and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he committed to the program. He was close friends with 2020 signee Quay Mays and had developed a strong bond with the coaches. It took longer than expected but the Jacksonville native made it official in mid-July.
Aug. 1 – The Mountaineers send out official offers and each of the commitments receive one. One interesting player that posts to social media about his offer is Miami outside linebacker commitment Ja'Corey Hammett. The Mountaineers had been recruiting the local Miami product for quite some time, but it appeared that they wouldn't be able to get him to flip his pledge given the local ties.
Aug. 5 – Miami (Fla.) outside linebacker Ja'Corey Hammett surprises many by flipping his pledge from Miami to West Virginia. Just a couple days before, Hammett had foreshadowed the flip but was able to keep things under wraps until it was done.
Sept. 27 – After over a month without any significant activity on the recruiting trail, the Mountaineers were able to add yet another significant piece to the class. After a pair of visits prior to the start of the dead period with each of his parents, Edwardsville (Ill.) running back Justin Johnson listed West Virginia at the top of his recruitment. Still, he wanted to wait things out and see if he would be able to take anymore additional trips. When it became clear that wasn't going to occur, Johnson made the call and gave running backs coach Chad Scott another significant win on the recruiting trail. Johnson gave the Mountaineers two-four star backs in the class, something only Clemson and Ohio State were able to do in the 2021 cycle to that point.
Oct. 2 – West Virginia was able to make yet another longtime target come into the fold when former Central Florida commitment Cocoa (Fla.) athlete Davis Mallinger flipped to the Mountaineers. Despite his pledge to the Knights, the Mountaineers had been aggressive in their pursuit since early in the spring and that eventually led to his choice to flip. The speedster could end up on either side of the ball in college and committed sight unseen. Like Treylan Davis earlier in the process, his recruitment had really started to pick up with many power five offers but the Mountaineers were ahead of the curve.
Oct. 16 – Senatobia (Miss.) Northwest Mississippi C.C. defensive lineman Nijel McGriff made the surprise decision to back off his pledge to West Virginia. He remains the only decommitment for the Mountaineers in the entire 2021 cycle.
Oct. 23 – Another flip in favor of West Virginia occurred when Auburndale (Fla.) safety Aubrey Burks picked the Mountaineers after being a longtime Indiana pledge. Burks could end up all over the field on defense but really connected with secondary coach Jahmile Addae and that led to his decision to pick West Virginia.
Dec. 25 – While not a high school prospect, West Virginia added another member to the 2021 class when Virginia Tech offensive line transfer Doug Nester committed to the Mountaineers. Nester, a two-year starter for the Hokies, transfers back to his home state where he will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. The Mountaineers now have five scholarships to fill in the 2021 cycle.
Jan. 25 – Stockholm (Swen.) tight end Victor Wikstrom, Finland defensive end Edward Vesterinen, Jackson (Oh.) athlete Treylan Davis, Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek defensive end Brayden Dudley, Birmingham (Ala.) Gardendale quarterback Will Crowder, Cocoa (Fla.) athlete Davis Mallinger, Massillon (Oh.) wide receiver Andrew Wilson-Lamp and Virginia Tech offensive line transfer Doug Nester enrolled early.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @JaredSerre
•Like us on Facebook
