Being Doubted Only Motivates West Virginia PWO Commit QB Sam Stoner

Being doubted only motivates Sam Stoner more. WVSN spoke with the quarterback recruit who just committed as a preferred walk-on to West Virginia.

Committing as a “PWO” status player means agreeing to a situation without any guarantees. That could be too risky for others, but Stoner made it clear he truly wants to be a Mountaineer.

“The family atmosphere! When the WVU coaches talk about family they mean it!,” responded Stoner with conviction when asked about what he loves about WVU. He also feels his skill set fits well with the current offensive system of the Mountaineers.

“I think I would fit well. In high school, we ran a spread offense and incorporated a lot of RPOs. We actually incorporated some versions of WVU plays into our offense because we had Jahiem [White] already going to WVU and our coaches thought that would be cool,” Stoner explains about his familiarity with the offense, seemingly feeling he’s more of a fit for the style incorporated while Garrett Greene was under center this past season.

Another obvious selling point of WVU for Stoner is the fact his high school teammate and close friend Jahiem White is one of West Virginia’s top commits in the 2023 class. The duo set records together and combined for over 11,000 yards as a quarterback-running back tandem throughout their time at William Penn High School in York, Pennsylvania.

WVU 2023 Commits Jahiem White and Sean Boyle Staying with Mountaineers

Despite White’s commitment to WVU being a nice bonus, Stoner wanted to make it known that he wants to play at West Virginia because of the program, not just to follow his super-star teammate. “Him being there definitely adds another factor. He has been my guy since freshman year! But even if he wasn’t there I think WVU would have still ended up being my home,” Stoner said.

But unlike White, a three-star prospect widely coveted by major programs around the country, Stoner has not been awarded a single star by any known recruiting outlet and is having to bet on himself without any financial scholarship guarantee to become a Mountaineer.

“It definitely motivates me because I believe I am a high caliber player. But that is just another chip on my shoulder! I am ready to get to work!,” offered Stoner as he acknowledges wanting to prove his critics wrong.

While the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns thrown in the history of his high school is ready for the challenge to attempt to “make it” at a major program like West Virginia, Stoner revealed Towson, Saint Francis, East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg have also showed interest in him.