On National Signing Day on December 18, West Virginia head football coach Neal Brown emphasized the importance of establishing a strong recruiting presence within a six-hour radius of Morgantown.

That includes states and areas such as Ohio, New Jersey, Western Pennsylvania as well as Washington D.C, Maryland and Virginia (DMV).

It takes time for coaching staffs to build strong relationships and connections in certain territories when it comes to recruiting, especially in areas in which the program’s presence could be lacking.

“Sometimes those inroads and those relationships take time,” Brown said this past December.

Fast forward seven months later, the Mountaineer coaches are making progress in these territories even during a global pandemic as Brown enters his second season at helm.

A mandatory dead period has been in place since March 13 which has prohibited any in-person recruiting.

West Virginia held five junior day visit weekends which allowed prospects to get on campus and see the program and personnel up close prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Holding those junior days have paid off for the program, but the staff is also working to become more efficient with its virtual tours for prospects during this dead period.

“We’re getting better and better at these virtual tours,” Brown said. “I always say you can’t come up to Country Roads in West Virginia, so we’re trying to take Country Roads to you and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

West Virginia’s recruiting progress within the six-hour radius has made significant strides in one particular state and that is Ohio.

The Mountaineers didn’t sign any high school prospects from the Buckeye State in their 2020 recruiting class. However, a signee from that class, offensive tackle Tairiq Stewart, is a Cleveland native, but he was recruited out of junior college.

Out of the 13 commitments West Virginia currently has on board in its 2021 class, five hail from Ohio. Massillon (Oh.) wide receiver Andrew Wilson-Lamp was the first Ohio native to pledge to the Mountaineers in this class back in January followed by Dublin (Oh.) defensive end Hammond Russell IV, Perry (Oh.) running back Jaylen Anderson, Jackson (Oh.) tight end Treylan Davis and Brunswick (Oh.) offensive lineman Tomas Rimac.

All of these Ohio recruits, aside from Wilson-lamp, committed during the mandatory dead period and make up four of West Virginia’s nine 2021 commitments during this no visit slot that is extended through August 31.

Among the other commitments during this dead period was Germantown (Md.) Northwest wide receiver Kaden Prather, another prospect within the six-hour radius who Penn State was heavily pursuing.

The Mountaineers are still in pursuit of several other 2021 prospects within the radius including Clintwood (Va.) Ridgeview running back Trenton Adkins, linebackers Mikai Gbayor (Irvington, New Jersey) and Cameron Junior (Middletown, Ohio), Washington (D.C.) St. John's College offensive guard Colin Henrich and others.

Yes, there’s still work to do when it comes to recruiting and establishing a more dominant presence in these border states. Plus, this coaching staff will have to reassess its prospect commitment policy the longer the dead period lasts.

But there’s no doubt that West Virginia’s coaches are making the best out of the current circumstances and making strides in the recruiting department.

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