West Virginia uses relationships in flip of four-star WR Farmer
West Virginia had been recruiting Melbourne (Fla.) Central Catholic 2024 wide receiver Ric'Darious Farmer for three years and that persistence paid off by flipping his commitment. But it certainly wasn't a straight line to that destination.
Farmer, 6-foot-0, 166-pounds, initially committed to Pittsburgh on Dec. 25 following his junior season but continued to keep an open mind heading into the spring and summer.
That led to summer official visits to West Virginia on June 9, UCF June 12 and finally Pittsburgh on June 23.
After mulling things over Farmer did indeed switch his commitment but to UCF.
Still, West Virginia running backs coach Chad Scott along with wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall never let up in recruiting the explosive pass catcher despite that pledge.
Some players are worth pursuing until the end and West Virginia felt that the connections established with the coaching staff and the fit with his skill set and personality was a good match.
For the longest time, it seemed like those efforts would be in vain, but after stopping by his school Farmer made the decision to return to Morgantown for an unofficial visit on Dec. 8. That trip gave him another look at the program and allowed him to spend more time with the coaches and quarterback Khalil Wilkins.
That proved to be enough as the Rivals.com four-star prospect came full circle when he selected the Mountaineers at a signing day ceremony at his school.
“A lot of credit to Chad and Bilal because they just kept on,” head coach Neal Brown said.
Farmer is an explosive athlete who is set to begin his career in the slot. He has impressive stop-and-start ability as well as advanced route running for a high school prospect. He also can handle kickoff returns.
“He’ll play early for us,” Brown said.
The head coach has had plenty of success with slots during his coaching career dating back to 2007 and Farmer has a chance to be the next in line at that spot.
The initial connection that Scott made as a freshman was key, but Brown also credited how Marshall, who is in his first year with the Mountaineers and only second as a full-time assistant, jumped into it. That doesn’t happen without Scott first making those connections, but Marshall was critical.
“Bilal came in to do a lot of the finishing to get DayDay signed,” Brown said.
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