MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Earlier this month, the NCAA Division I Council approved a one-year waiver of the annual signing limits in football to allow up to seven additional replacement scholarships for players who leave the team after the first term.
 
Whether or not this continues in some shape or form after 2021-22 is yet to be determined.
 
But what this means for West Virginia's immediate future is potentially up to 32 scholarships being offered during the current recruiting cycle which ends at the beginning of fall training camp in August 2022.
 
That's provided the players leaving the program are in good academic standing at the time they enter the transfer portal. Because West Virginia's fall term concludes right around the same time as the December early signing period, those extra scholarships will most likely come into play afterward. That means a couple of extra players could be signed in February, or, some spring and summer roster additions through the transfer portal. 
 
Earlier this week, WVU coach Neal Brown was asked about this one-time ruling approved by the NCAA Division I Council, which WVU director of athletics Shane Lyons currently chairs.
 
"It helps," Brown admitted. "It will allow us to take probably another high school D-lineman, probably another high school DB, another body at linebacker and probably two more wide outs."
 
Where it could have a bigger impact is what Brown and his staff ultimately choose to do in the transfer portal. Although Brown is formulating a plan for this, he isn't willing to reveal it publicly yet.
 
"When you are dealing in the transfer world you are going to have some hits and some misses," he explained. "In high school guys, you can get them into your program and develop them. Just because we're struggling right now, you're not going to see this wholesale change to get transfers in large numbers."
 
Brown said he firmly believes in building his program from the ground up with predominantly high school players - getting them into the developmental program and having them absorb the team culture. He cites the number of young players already playing right now and the additional number of younger guys who got quality second-half snaps in last Saturday's loss at Baylor.
 
The vast majority of the 69 players on the team plane traveling out to Waco, Texas, last Saturday have multiple seasons of college eligibility remaining.
 
"I think some of the guys we've recruited are improving and you will see even more of it next year," Brown predicted.
 
Brown did say the most likely areas on the team to be targeted in the transfer portal are secondary, linebacker and offensive line. If a player of Tony Fields' caliber comes available again in the portal it only makes sense to bring him in.
 
"Tony Fields was a difference maker last year, and he erased some things because of his speed," Brown pointed out.
 
Last week, a story posted on the WVMetroNews website listed the lack of NFL-level talent Brown has inherited during his three seasons coaching at West Virginia.
 
It listed Brown predecessors, Dana Holgorsen, Bill Stewart and Rich Rodriguez, inheriting nine NFL-caliber players each, and Don Nehlen inheriting eight from Frank Cignetti, although the number for Nehlen was actually six (two of the guys listed played in the USFL and not the NFL) and a couple of the players Stewart was listed inheriting were actually just for one game, but the overall point is still valid.
 
It's also true most of these guys were not multi-year NFL players, but some of the top-shelf players Holgorsen inherited from Stewart were. Three of them (Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Bruce Irvin) were still on NFL rosters through last season.

By the way, you can watch Geno Smith make his first start with the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
 
But back to the point, Brown has only had one inherited player taken in the NFL Draft so far - offensive tackle Colton McKivitz, who is currently on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad, and another player taken in last year's draft that he brought in – Fields, listed third on the Cleveland Browns' depth chart at sam linebacker this week.
 
Beyond that is the even bigger issue of pure numbers, which Brown and his staff have been battling from the moment they arrived in January 2019.
 
Consequently, Brown indicated earlier this week that he will have his full allotment of coaches out on the road recruiting this weekend to supplement a 2021 class currently ranked No. 19 by ESPN.com and No. 22 by Rivals.
 
"I knew this wasn't going to be a quick turn, and that's not going to fire people up," Brown admitted. "Did I think we were going to be able to win some games this year in the fourth quarter? Yes. Did I think we were going to be 2-4 right now? No. 
 
"Did I think we were going to be 6-0? No, but I thought we would be able to play better and close out some of these close games in the fourth quarter that we have not," he added.
 
Therefore, the objective right now is for them to roll up their sleeves, get back to work and develop the younger players they've got in the program, get some of the older guys healthy and rejuvenated and continue to add more pieces to the puzzle once the season is finished.
 
"We've got a lot of football left, a half a season," Brown explained. "From where I'm sitting, we're not going to be miserable and right now is a time to lead. We've got to meet this head on and continue to go about our work. It's going to be a challenge, but it's doable. 
 
"We've played better football, and we will play better football," he concluded.