The West Virginia football program has landed its top target on the 2023 recruiting board with a commitment from Uniontown (Pa.) Laurel Highlands athlete Rodney Gallagher.
Gallagher, 6-foot-0, 170-pounds, selected the Mountaineers over a long list of scholarship offers including Penn State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska and many others.
The Rivals100 prospect had initially planned to announce his decision July 4 after setting up a series of official visits but made the choice to go ahead and commit to the Big 12 Conference programs.
Gallagher has been the top target for West Virginia for the past few years this cycle and had visited campus well over a dozen times to learn about the program.
The Rivals.com four-star prospect had developed a strong relationship with head coach Neal Brown, safeties coach Dontae Wright, offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and wide receivers coach Tony Washington. Those ties as well as how persistent the Mountaineers were in their efforts were critical.
West Virginia was one of the first programs involved and never let up in their pursuit.
“They’ve been doing a great job recruiting me and they’re always in contact with me almost every single day. It could be a different person from the staff almost every day and they’ve been doing a very good job on the recruiting side,” he said. “We definitely have a good connection.”
Gallagher is set to play wide receiver for West Virginia and was able to spend valuable time during the spring getting to know the new offensive scheme and how he could fit into it. The coaching staff likes his athleticism and versatility at the slot receiver position after seeing him in camp.
Possesses excellent body control and impressive stop-start ability that allows him to create space and pick up yards after the catch which is an ideal fit for the West Virginia offense.
“I like how they pass the ball and get the ball to the position I’m going to be playing,” he said.
The Rivals.com four-star prospect gives West Virginia the highest rated commitment in the 2023 class and the highest overall since Brown and his coaching staff arrived in the 2019 cycle.
A two-sport standout, Gallagher actually had received an offer from West Virginia on the basketball court as well but decided that he would focus solely on football in December of 2021.
The pledge of Gallagher continues a run of momentum for the West Virginia football program and gives the Mountaineers a highly prized pledge from the fertile recruiting state of Pennsylvania.
Gallagher represents the seventh overall pledge for West Virginia in the 2023 class and represents the first for the program at the wide receiver position.
WVSports.com will have more with Gallagher in the immediate future.
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