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Sign Right Here: WVU’s Football Class of 2022 Begins to Take Shape on Wednesday
December 14, 2021 03:33 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Wednesday morning is Christmas day for college football programs across the country.
But is it really?
It is the first opportunity for prospects in the Class of 2022 to sign with their chosen schools, and this is also the first recruiting cycle since COVID-19 shut down the country in the spring of 2020 that official visits and in-person evaluations have resumed.
But the NCAA's recent adoption of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal are profoundly impacting college football in still yet-to-be determined ways. It's clear the way things were no longer are, which means it's time for football programs to adapt and adjust.
For one thing, the days of recruiting players and simply expecting them to remain in your program for five years until they graduate are probably over.
That's how Don Nehlen once managed to produce two West Virginia University football teams good enough to win all of its regular season games and get into the national championship discussion in 1988 and 1993, not to mention a third team during those five-year intervals in 1998 that was possibly his most talented but also his most underachieving squad.
Today, getting a group of players on signing day and developing all of them together for a long period of time has gone the way of the dinosaurs. College football has turned into a sport where you build the best team you possibly can one year at a time, and the sooner fans come to terms with this the better for sanity's sake.
Earlier this fall, in response to the pandemic, the NCAA adopted a one-time waiver permitting schools to sign seven additional players during this recruiting cycle, meaning a program can add up to 32 additional players to its roster before the start of fall training camp in 2022. That's provided the exiting players are in good academic standing at the time they transfer.
When you put all of this together and stir it up, what it means is talent acquisition is now a continuing process that includes the December early signing period beginning tomorrow, resumes with the normal February signing period and never really stops afterward.
"We're going to be in a position between now and (next year) where we can add up to 32 spots, and we're going to take full advantage of those (additional) seven spots," Neal Brown said last week. "(Wednesday) we hope to sign in the 20-ish range."
In terms of transfers, a flood of players across the country have already entered the transfer portal since the conclusion of the 2021 regular season and that number will only increase once the bowl season is completed.
247Sports has an updated transfer portal tracker and is now ranking the work teams are doing in this area. As of this morning, the website lists Indiana, USF, Michigan State, Arkansas and South Carolina as the top-five most successful teams recruiting the transfer portal.
And before you start rolling your eyes, keep in mind that Baylor went from 2-7 and a ninth-place finish in the Big 12 in 2020 to 11-2 and playing Ole Miss in this year's Sugar Bowl by adding lots of four-year transfers.
Chris Beard revolutionized the practice in men's basketball, once taking Texas Tech to the national championship game with a roster littered with transfers, and he's continuing to do it at Texas where the Longhorns have the resources to recruit anybody.
So yes, adding the right pieces can make an immediate difference, which can make things so interesting and so hopeful for the fans. Yet it's important to understand that the evaluation process for West Virginia's recruiting class only begins tomorrow. It continues in February and beyond - all the way up to the first day of fall camp next August.
"The portal has obviously transformed recruiting at-large in a big way, but it's still about forging relationships," Mountaineer Sports Network sideline analyst Jed Drenning said. Jed will be working tomorrow's signing day show at the Waterfront Place studio with Dale Wolfley and Tony Caridi.
"The sensible mix in this class of high school prospects and transfers suggests coach Brown and his staff have settled into this new reality as seamlessly as possible, while addressing some critical needs," Drenning added.
Wolfley has been studying the tape of the prospects expected to sign on Wednesday, and he said he's impressed with the collective athleticism this group possesses. He believes it might be the most athletic group of players Brown and his staff have recruited since they've been at West Virginia.
"These guys are long and lean," Wolfley said. "They can run north and south, east and west, and they really complement the new West Virginia style of play Brown has introduced. Overall, they recruited some linebackers who are skilled enough to be running backs and offensive linemen who can pull out and run, and it's really impressive to see on tape."
Drenning agrees.
"There is a considerable number of playmakers in this class with Big 12 body types and ability," Drenning noted. "WVU is light on numbers, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary, but also at some spots that could help the Mountaineers build toward real strength and stability moving forward. I think this class is going to really address some of these areas."
NCAA rules prohibit Drenning and Wolfley from speaking about individual prospects until their letters-of-intent are officially signed tomorrow morning, so be sure to log on and check out what Jed, Wolf and Tony have to say about the group of players West Virginia is signing beginning Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. on WVUsports.com and Mountaineer football's social media channels @WVUfootball on Facebook and Twitter. An archived version of the four-hour show will also be posted on West Virginia's official YouTube channel WVUsports.
Signees will be announced in real time on WVU football's social media platforms, including Neal Brown's official Twitter account (@NealBrown_WVU), as well as the dedicated signing day web page TakeMeHome22.com.
This year's signing day coverage is presented by GoMart.
But is it really?
It is the first opportunity for prospects in the Class of 2022 to sign with their chosen schools, and this is also the first recruiting cycle since COVID-19 shut down the country in the spring of 2020 that official visits and in-person evaluations have resumed.
But the NCAA's recent adoption of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal are profoundly impacting college football in still yet-to-be determined ways. It's clear the way things were no longer are, which means it's time for football programs to adapt and adjust.
For one thing, the days of recruiting players and simply expecting them to remain in your program for five years until they graduate are probably over.
That's how Don Nehlen once managed to produce two West Virginia University football teams good enough to win all of its regular season games and get into the national championship discussion in 1988 and 1993, not to mention a third team during those five-year intervals in 1998 that was possibly his most talented but also his most underachieving squad.
Today, getting a group of players on signing day and developing all of them together for a long period of time has gone the way of the dinosaurs. College football has turned into a sport where you build the best team you possibly can one year at a time, and the sooner fans come to terms with this the better for sanity's sake.
Earlier this fall, in response to the pandemic, the NCAA adopted a one-time waiver permitting schools to sign seven additional players during this recruiting cycle, meaning a program can add up to 32 additional players to its roster before the start of fall training camp in 2022. That's provided the exiting players are in good academic standing at the time they transfer.
When you put all of this together and stir it up, what it means is talent acquisition is now a continuing process that includes the December early signing period beginning tomorrow, resumes with the normal February signing period and never really stops afterward.
"We're going to be in a position between now and (next year) where we can add up to 32 spots, and we're going to take full advantage of those (additional) seven spots," Neal Brown said last week. "(Wednesday) we hope to sign in the 20-ish range."
In terms of transfers, a flood of players across the country have already entered the transfer portal since the conclusion of the 2021 regular season and that number will only increase once the bowl season is completed.
247Sports has an updated transfer portal tracker and is now ranking the work teams are doing in this area. As of this morning, the website lists Indiana, USF, Michigan State, Arkansas and South Carolina as the top-five most successful teams recruiting the transfer portal.
And before you start rolling your eyes, keep in mind that Baylor went from 2-7 and a ninth-place finish in the Big 12 in 2020 to 11-2 and playing Ole Miss in this year's Sugar Bowl by adding lots of four-year transfers.
Chris Beard revolutionized the practice in men's basketball, once taking Texas Tech to the national championship game with a roster littered with transfers, and he's continuing to do it at Texas where the Longhorns have the resources to recruit anybody.
So yes, adding the right pieces can make an immediate difference, which can make things so interesting and so hopeful for the fans. Yet it's important to understand that the evaluation process for West Virginia's recruiting class only begins tomorrow. It continues in February and beyond - all the way up to the first day of fall camp next August.
"The portal has obviously transformed recruiting at-large in a big way, but it's still about forging relationships," Mountaineer Sports Network sideline analyst Jed Drenning said. Jed will be working tomorrow's signing day show at the Waterfront Place studio with Dale Wolfley and Tony Caridi.
"The sensible mix in this class of high school prospects and transfers suggests coach Brown and his staff have settled into this new reality as seamlessly as possible, while addressing some critical needs," Drenning added.
Wolfley has been studying the tape of the prospects expected to sign on Wednesday, and he said he's impressed with the collective athleticism this group possesses. He believes it might be the most athletic group of players Brown and his staff have recruited since they've been at West Virginia.
"These guys are long and lean," Wolfley said. "They can run north and south, east and west, and they really complement the new West Virginia style of play Brown has introduced. Overall, they recruited some linebackers who are skilled enough to be running backs and offensive linemen who can pull out and run, and it's really impressive to see on tape."
Drenning agrees.
"There is a considerable number of playmakers in this class with Big 12 body types and ability," Drenning noted. "WVU is light on numbers, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary, but also at some spots that could help the Mountaineers build toward real strength and stability moving forward. I think this class is going to really address some of these areas."
NCAA rules prohibit Drenning and Wolfley from speaking about individual prospects until their letters-of-intent are officially signed tomorrow morning, so be sure to log on and check out what Jed, Wolf and Tony have to say about the group of players West Virginia is signing beginning Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. on WVUsports.com and Mountaineer football's social media channels @WVUfootball on Facebook and Twitter. An archived version of the four-hour show will also be posted on West Virginia's official YouTube channel WVUsports.
Signees will be announced in real time on WVU football's social media platforms, including Neal Brown's official Twitter account (@NealBrown_WVU), as well as the dedicated signing day web page TakeMeHome22.com.
This year's signing day coverage is presented by GoMart.
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