February National Signing Day Primer

We have officially made it to the traditional February signing period and the West Virginia coaching staff is expecting to round out its 2019 class with a few solid pickups.

But first, let’s take a look at the current breakdown of the class as of (2/6)

QB (1) – Austin Kendall

RB (1) – Tony Mathis

WR ()- Ali Jennings, Winston Wright Jr., Terence Doston

TE- NONE

OL (3) – Brandon Yates, Parker Moorer, Donovan Beaver

DL (2) – Taijh Alston, Jalen Thornton

LB (1) –  Jared Bartlett

CB (3) – Dreshun Miller, Nicktroy Fortune, Kerry Martin

S (2) – Osita Smith, Tykee Smith, Rashean Lynn

K (1) Kolton McGhee

Names to watch

WR Juwan Johnson 6’4” 225 lbs (Penn State)

S Rashean Lynn 6’5” 184 lbs (Cocoa, FL)

OL Darnell Wright 6’6” 300 lbs (Huntington,WV)

CB M.J. Devonshire 5’11” 175 lbs (Aliquippa, PA)

DL Jordan Jefferson 6’4” 270 lbs (Navarre, FL)

CB Tavion Mayo 5’11” 175 lbs (Leesburg, GA)

CB Collin Duncan 6’1” 165 lbs (Montgomery, AL)

CB Tacorey Turner 6’2” 180 lbs (Montgomery, AL)

Needs

The biggest need was a quarterback, but that was solved once Neal Brown landed Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall. There’s still a chance they add a juco guy later in the spring for more depth, but right now it’s unlikely.

With the quarterback position taken care of, we switch to the defensive side. It appears the coaching staff is working extremely hard on adding at least two more secondary pieces, possibly three. Most likely to sign? Tavion Mayo and Tacorey Turner. Turner was a former Troy commit and has a pretty strong relationship with Brown’s staff at West Virginia, but could potentially blueshirt.

Then, where every battle is won and lost- the trenches. Coach Brown is doing everything he possibly can to land in-state consensus five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright. Tennessee has been thought of as the leader for quite some time, but the race has certainly tightened up. As for the defensive line, it appears that defensive line coach Jordan Lesley landed his first verbal from Jordan Jefferson, although no announcement has yet been made. Jefferson still has a scheduled visit to Kansas State and will announce on signing day.

As long as the dynamic red zone threat David Sills V and Mr. Reliable Gary Jennings, which leaves a pretty thin wide receiver group experience wise. Marcus Simms and T.J. Simmons should be the go-to targets next year, but they need a big body to fill the void of Sills V. They can potentially get that from Penn State wide receiver transfer Juwan Johnson. Johnson visited Morgantown last weekend and a source told DubVNation that he ”thoroughly enjoyed his visit and loves the vision and energy of Neal Brown’s staff.” Johnson will take a couple other visits, but it appears the Mountaineers are in good position for his talents.

Be sure to follow DubVNation.com throughout National Signing Day!