These so-called “legacy” recruits West Virginia signed in this year’s football signing class are supposed to be sure things, right?

 

Well, there are no such things as sure things in football recruiting.

 

The Mountaineers landed four legacies in this year’s class if you include early enrollee Jacquez Adams, the brother of WVU freshman Jordan Adams.

 

The others are Bridgeport High safety Dylan Tonkery, the younger brother of former standout Mountaineer linebacker Wes Tonkery, junior college safety Kyzir White, the younger brother of current WVU wide receiver Ka’Raun White and former Mountaineer Kevin White and St. Clairsville (Ohio) High linebacker Brendan Ferns, the younger brother of current Mountaineer tight end Michael Ferns.

 

All were coveted prospects, especially Ferns and White.

 

Ferns played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and had a long list of suitors following a terrific senior season at St. Clairsville, right across the Ohio River from Wheeling. Ferns made 118 tackles, 10 tackles for losses and two sacks, and picked off two passes as a linebacker. He also rushed for 1,066 yards and scored 18 touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 600 yards and four touchdowns as a running back.

 

The Ohio Division IV Player of the Year was a Rivals250 prospect and a four-star recruit, according to ESPN.com. He received more than 30 scholarship offers before paring his list to two – West Virginia and Penn State.

 

“He had a lot of options,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “He could have gone virtually anywhere he wanted to, but he decided to spend the next four years with his brother and the Mountaineer family.”

 

It’s the same deal with White.

 

The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound defensive back had a lot of college offers to choose from following two outstanding seasons at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

 

White had 71 tackles, six pass breakups and four picks during his two-year career there and demonstrated an ability to make big plays on defense. The No. 19-rated JC player in the country was a junior college All-American and counted Penn State and USC among his final college choices.

 

When was the last time West Virginia beat out Penn State for a recruit, let alone two in the same signing class?

 

“I am very familiar with Kyzir and he is very familiar with us so I don’t have to go into that, but with that said, he could have gone anywhere in the country,” Holgorsen noted. “He is a 6-foot-2; he is 210 pounds; he is a fierce hitter; he can cover ground; he is fast and he’s always around the ball.”

 

Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson says he has big plans for both players as soon as next fall, particularly in the case of White.

 

“Obviously, Kyzir White is a big get for us after losing a guy like KJ Dilon,” Gibson said. “(Dillon) was so important to our defense. I have said numerous times that the spur position is the most important position to what we do defensively. We had to get a guy that can come in and play right now, so we are very excited about Kyzir and what he can bring to the table.”

 

Ferns could also be a factor this fall because of his size, athleticism and intelligence. Gibson projects him as an outside linebacker.

 

“He’s a long, athletic and smart kid who can lineup outside and play the Sam or Will positions,” Gibson said. “I’m really excited about that.”

 

There have already been comparisons made between Ferns and departing senior linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, who had an outstanding performance the Senior Bowl and is getting ready for this year’s NFL Draft.

 

Holgorsen says he sees some similarities between the two.

 

“From a body type they are,” he said. “Ferns is probably more athletic than Kwit coming out of high school. He is pretty athletic. Kwit turned into an unbelievably solid, tough-nosed football player. That’s what he turned into. When I got here Kwit was committed, so I didn’t study him as much as I did Ferns.

 

“Ferns is athletic now,” Holgorsen continued. “The guy does everything. He plays offense. He plays defense. He throws it and he catches it. He runs it. He tackles people and that’s impressive.”

 

Holgorsen said there are also some similarities between White and Dillon, who also played in the Senior Bowl with Kwiatkoski and is preparing for the NFL Draft as well.

 

“When KJ started as a freshman he was 170 pounds,” Holgorsen said. “He turned into a 6-foot-1, 210-pound guy who you currently see. Kyzir is already 6-foot-1, 210 pounds and he is maybe even bigger than that. He is game ready now, where it took KJ a couple years to get there.”

 

Consequently, when you are as big, as athletic and can move the way Ferns and White can, you are going to attract a lot of interest from other schools – even if they have deep ties to a particular school.

Holgorsen says he didn’t take anything for granted with either player.

 

“We did not take for granted that either one of these kids had options to go wherever they wanted,” Holgorsen explained. “We recruited those two guys harder than anybody we signed.

 

“The truth of the matter is that those guys had a lot of good opportunities and options to go elsewhere. We battled and we recruited hard. We were fortunate to get both of those guys. I think the difficult thing about it is you are around them so much and you know them so well, you may take for granted the fact that you know them so well, and you don’t recruit them as hard as you need to. I don’t think that happened with either one,” the coach concluded.