Signed, Sealed, Delivered
February 01, 2006 07:27 PM | General
February 1, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The mood inside the Milan Puskar Center picked up significantly midway through West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez’s press conference announcing his program’s newest class of football players when word was received that Greg Davis’ letter of intent had made its way across the fax machine.
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| West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez makes a point during the announcement of his 15-player recruiting class Wednesday afternoon at the Milan Puskar Center.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
Davis, a 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound defensive back from Blue Ridge (Va.) School, turned out to be the final piece of an intriguing 15-player recruiting class comprised mainly of defensive backs and offensive linemen.
Davis, the No. 16-rated player in Virginia by the Roanoke Times, was one of four defensive backs inked in this year’s class. Joining Davis in the defensive secondary was Milford (N.Y.) Academy standout Franchot “Boogie” Allen, Hargrave (Va.) Academy cornerback Ryan Brinson, and Withrow High School product Robert Williams of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Allen, a 6-1, 190-pounder, turned down offers from Michigan State and Iowa to choose West Virginia. His older brother Gus Scott played college football at Florida and is currently a member of the New England Patriots. Allen is a Jacksonville, Fla., resident.
“He is a corner that can also play safety,” said Rodriguez. “He should be up here for both sessions of summer school and should be ready to go when camp starts.”
Brinson, a member of last year’s signing class, reaffirmed his commitment to the Mountaineers after spending this season at Hargrave Academy. The 5-9, 175-pounder was the Ohio Big School player of the year in 2005 at Canton McKinley High School as a running back, but has since turned his attention to defense where he finished the year ranked as the nation’s 25th-best post-graduate-school player by Rivals.com.
“We signed him last year and he went to Hargrave and he’ll play corner for us even though he was a very talented high school running back,” Rodriguez said.
Williams turned down offers from Big Ten programs Illinois and Minnesota to sign with West Virginia. The 5-foot-10-inch, 160-pound corner back tied an Ohio record with five interceptions in one game as a sophomore at Withrow High School and finished his career with 15 picks. Williams has already been selected to play in the Pennsylvania-Ohio Big 33 game in Hershey, Pa.
“Robert is a very good athlete who also played on the other side of the ball,” Rodriguez said. “He is one of the fastest guys we recruited who comes from a good program in Ohio.”
Rodriguez and his coaching staff also concentrated on offensive linemen, signing four promising high school prospects. Kennedy Catholic High School product Eric Rodemoyer of Sharon, Pa., made an early commitment to Pitt before changing his mind and choosing West Virginia. Rodemoyer earned AP first team all-state honors and was rated the Keystone State’s 54th-best player by Rivals.com.
“He’s a guy that we had in camp; he’s a very good athlete who runs well,” Rodriguez said. “He’s another guy who is 300 pounds who moves like a 250-pounder. He fits the mold and has the same type of personality and temperament we’re playing with right now.”
Massive 6-6, 315-pound Jake Miller of Tuscarawas High School in Sherrodsville, Ohio, will be one of the biggest players in the Mountaineer program when he arrives next fall. Miller, a one-time Illinois commitment, earned Division IV first-team all-state honors. His mother Carol is originally from Wheeling, W.Va.
“He’s the biggest guy in the class from a little school in Ohio. He’s kind of a small-town guy,” said Rodriguez. “He’s got a big upside: he’s a 300-pounder that looks like he weighs about 265. He’s a tough guy and we’re excited about big Jake.”
Six-two, 270-pound offensive lineman Eric Jobe was a three-year standout at La Plata High School in La Plata, Md. Also a state contender in wrestling Jobe ranked fourth in his class of 392 academically.
“He’s one of the best wrestlers in the state and he’s very athletic and he reminds us a lot of Dan Mozes watching him on his high school film,” Rodriguez said. “He was at our camp and we know a lot about him.”
Derek Hayes, a 6-3, 270-pound offensive lineman from Tallahassee, Fla., played at Rickards High School where he earned all-conference honors.
“We had a need for offensive line in this class and he’s a very good athlete who played in a good high school program,” Rodriguez said. “He’s the type of guy we’re looking for along our offensive line.”
West Virginia was able to beat out heavy competition for a pair of Pittsburgh standouts in wide receiver Wes Lyons and linebacker Anthony Leonard. Lyons, a 6-6, 180-pounder, turned down a big push from Ohio State to sign with West Virginia.
“We wanted to get a couple of tall wide receivers and Wes certainly fits the bill,” Rodriguez said. “He’s 6-6 and he’s a guy that probably has a chance to come in and make an impact. He grew so quickly and now he’s working hard to catch his speed up with his size and he’s doing that as we speak. He’s been coming to our campus and watching our games since he was in about the eighth grade.”
Leonard, a 6-2, 215-pound McKeesport, Pa., resident, led his McKeesport High School team to the Pennsylvania Class 4A state championship. Both were named to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune Review all-city teams.
“He was one of the first commitments in our class,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a very good athlete and has a great personality: he could be the one to assume a leadership role in this class and we’re excited about him.”
Philadelphia wide receiver John Maddox and Stroudsburg, Pa., tight end Chris Nield were two outstanding Eastern Pa recruits that signed with West Virginia. Maddox, a first-team all-state selection, had the third-most receiving yards in city history and picked the Mountaineers over Michigan State, Purdue and North Carolina.
“He’s another athlete that we’ll probably look at playing receiver first but is also a very good defensive back and safety,” Rodriguez said. “He’s the kind of guy with the size we like on the outside.”
West Virginia beat out stiff competition for Nield, a 6-foot-3-inch, 275-pounder who switched his commitment from Syracuse to the Mountaineers after a January visit. Nield also considered N.C. State and Georgia Tech.
“Coach (Bill) Kirelawich recruited Chris out of Stroudsburg, Pa., and he’s 6-3, 275. He’s played some tight end, some fullback and some linebacker, but we’re projecting him as a defensive lineman. He’s a tough, physical guy and a player that can do a lot of things.”
The Mountaineers beat out the Wolfpack for the services of rising 6-foot-4-inch, 230-pound defensive end Marcus Broxie of Middleton High School in Tampa, Fla. West Virginia was also able to sign Broxie’s cousin Eddie Davis from Freedom High School in Tampa. Davis ran for more than 700 yards in just four games and may also be a candidate for the defensive secondary.
“Marcus Broxie is a defensive end that we got on late,” Rodriguez said. “He’s very athletic; speed rusher type and we think he has a tremendous upside.
“We recruited Eddie all along, but we got on Eddie a little heavier late and depending upon what position is a need for us is where we’ll start him at,” Rodriguez said.
The last name is a familiar one to West Virginia football fans. J.T. Thomas, III, is the son of former Mountaineer linebacker J.T. Thomas, a two-year starter in 1994 and 1995. Thomas, III, made the all-Broward County team after producing 86 tackles, three sacks and had a pair of interceptions for Ely High School. Thomas was the No. 13-rated college prospect in Broward County by the Miami Herald.
“We’ve had a little bit of an in with him and I think he’s been coming to our camp since he was in the eighth grade,” Rodriguez said. “We had a chance to establish a relationship with him and he had a great senior year. We’re really excited about him and it seems like he gets bigger every time we see him.”
In sum, Rodriguez is happy with the 15 players his coaches were able to land.
“This is a small class and I’d prefer to judge it later,” Rodriguez said. “I like this class as much as I did last year’s: it’s just not as big. This is the smallest class I ever remember being a part of.
“I like the quality of our class and I also think we met the temperament and the character of the young men that signed with us,” Rodriguez said.
Briefly:
“Those guys are in our program and are really in this recruiting class even though we signed them last year,” Rodriguez said.
A couple of players sitting out this year and paying their way to school are running back Ed Collington, tight end Selvish Capers and linebacker Barry Wright.
“Barry is a walk-on right now but if he does what he’s supposed to do he will earn a scholarship in the fall,” Rodriguez said.
