Neal Brown couldn’t have imagined that a passport was going to be a requirement when it comes to putting together his recruiting class.
“I was a little worried mine wasn’t up to date,” Brown joked.
But that’s exactly where West Virginia has found itself as the Mountaineers have dipped their toes into the international waters when it comes to mining for potential prospects. Outside of the borders of the United States, Brown and his coaches added players from both Canada and the Netherlands.
Akheem Mesidor, originally from Ottawa, Ontario, spent this past season at Clearwater Academy International in Florida. The Mountaineers offered the defensive end in May and things only continued to heat up after seeing him at a satellite camp in the spring.
West Virginia secured the first official visit for Mesidor during the June 14 weekend but he would take four more to UCLA, Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Pittsburgh over the next several months. Still, the Mountaineers made him a priority and ultimately that effort led by cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae and defensive line coach Jordan Lesley paid off in his commitment.
It's a significant pledge in large part because of his position but also due to how Mesidor developed and closed his high school career with a strong senior year.
That pursuit of Mesidor also involved a day trip that started in Clearwater, Florida where it was a comfortable 77-degrees before heading to Canada where the weather wasn’t as forgiving.
“But it was absolutely worth it,” he said.
The second international prospect is cornerback Jairo Faverus, who earned an offer from the Mountaineers over the summer after a highly impressive performance at a one-day camp stop. During that camp, he was physically impressive and handled his job against a talented group of wide receivers.
Faverus is part of a European group of football players named PPIRecruits and traveled with several other prospects to a number of college campuses over the summer. It was the same group that also produced the Mountaineers 2021 tight end commitment in Victor Wikstrom from Sweeden.
It’s just another part of a recruiting landscape that continues to expand – now even outside the U.S. Director of Player Personnel Brian Bennett believes it is an area that West Virginia will continue to be open to in the future and will use resources there.
"I think it's starting to explode and more and more people will tap into it," he said.
The head coach will just need to remember to keep his passport renewed.
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