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WVU Football Recruiting

Is West Virginia Still in the Hunt for 2022 Recruits?

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Neal Brown

The 2022 recruiting cycle is slowly beginning to wind down, with most schools having classes chock-full of talented high school seniors.

West Virginia football has built one of the best recruiting classes in program history this season, currently ranked 23rd by 247Sports and 22nd by Rivals, and there is the potential to rise up the rankings with a few late commitments.

WVU head coach Neal Brown has been busy recruiting across the country this year, and that’s evident by the players who still have a chance of committing to WVU this fall and winter.

Wide Receiver

Peter Kikwata — four-star from Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland 

Kikwata is one of the highest-ranked recruits left for WVU’s 2022 class at this point. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound wideout from Northwest High School has helped his school to a 2-0 start this season, his deep threat ability unleashed upon opposing defenses.

247Sports rates Kikwata as the 372nd-ranked recruit in the nation, coming in as the 53rd-ranked wide receiver and eighth-ranked recruit from Maryland. Rivals rates him as the 49th-ranked wide receiver and the fifth-ranked recruit from Maryland.

Kikwata has received over 25 offers, but he narrowed down his Top 8 to Auburn, Boston College, Florida State, Kentucky, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Penn State and West Virginia.

247Sports projects Kikwata to WVU currently while Rivals does not have a projection.

Mike Jackson — three-star from Miami Palmetto High School in Miami, Florida 

According to 247Sports, WVU is still “hot” in pursuit of Jackson, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound playmaker with the ball in his hands. The versatile speedster has helped Miami Palmetto to a 1-1 record to begin the season.

247Sports rates Jackson as the 961st-ranked recruit in the nation, slotting in as the 135th-ranked wide receiver and the 129th-ranked recruit from Florida. Rivals hasn’t posted any ranks for Jackson.

With 20 offers on his plate, Jackson narrowed down his Top 5 to Coastal Carolina, Louisville, Miami, Appalachian State and WVU at the end of August.

247Sports currently projects Jackson to Miami, with a weak rating, while Rivals also projects he’ll land with the Hurricanes.

Brandon White — three-star from Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati, Ohio 

Another wide receiver that has WVU among his finalists, White attends the high school of former WVU basketball star Miles McBride. A 5-foot-9, 165-pound track star, he’s caught 11 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns in four games this season.

247Sports rates him as the 1,396th-ranked recruit in the nation, rating as the 181st-ranked wide receiver and the 51st-ranked recruit from Ohio. Rivals rates him as the 37th-ranked recruit from Ohio.

White was originally set to announce his commitment at the end of August, but he has since delayed it. WVU is among the four schools that currently are in the running for his commitment — which could come any day.

Both 247Sports and Rivals project White to land with WVU.

Offensive Line

Trent Ramsey — four-star from Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Florida

Ramsey is a bit of a longshot for a WVU commitment, his process seemingly taking him more toward schools in the south. However, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive lineman did visit Morgantown back in June.

According to 247Sports, Ramsey is the 361st-ranked recruit in the nation, slotting in as the 37th-ranked offensive tackle and the 47th-ranked recruit from Florida. Rivals rates him as the 33rd-ranked offensive tackle and the 48th-ranked recruit from Florida.

Without a set commitment date, Ramsey is a bit of a wild card when it comes to the WVU recruiting class. The offensive lineman would be a major pull, and after posting positively about his official visit on Twitter, perhaps Brown and co. can manage to steal him from Florida.

247Sports hasn’t predicted Ramsey yet, but Rivals has predicted he’ll wind up committed to Florida State.

Athlete

Tommy Winton — three-star athlete from Knoxville Catholic in Knoxville, Tennessee

Winton is another wild card in WVU’s 2022 class, having made one of his only official visits to Morgantown back in June. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound wide receiver/safety hybrid has helped Knoxville Catholic to a 3-0 record to begin his senior season.

According to 247Sports, Winton is the 630th-ranked recruit in the nation, slotting in as the 48th-ranked athlete and the 22nd-ranked recruit from Tennessee. Rivals rates him as the 71st-rated wide receiver and the 21st-ranked recruit from Tennessee.

WVU has recruited Winton hard, and if Brown and co. were able to land him, he’d be an extremely valuable member of the 2022 class that just oozes potential and versatility.

Neither 247Sports nor Rivals currently has a projection for Winton yet.

Linebacker

Wesley Bissainthe — four-star linebacker from Miami Central High School in Miami, Florida

Bissainthe would be the crown jewel of Brown’s 2022 class, one of the top recruits in the nation in this cycle. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound linebacker is excellent in open space, locking down opposing players in coverage, and should be able to add additional weight to his frame.

247Sports rates Bissainthe as the 172nd-ranked recruit in the nation, coming in as the 20th-ranked linebacker and the 20th-ranked recruit from Florida. Rivals rates him as the 23rd-ranked outside linebacker and the 42nd-ranked recruit from Florida.

Bissainthe visited WVU in June, coming in with a few current commits, and just yesterday, he narrowed down his Top 5 to Miami, Florida State, Florida, Penn State and WVU.

WVU will face an uphill battle in landing Bissainthe, with both 247Sports and Rivals currently projecting him to commit to Miami. His commitment date will come later this year.

DeAunte Hunter — three-star linebacker from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia

One of the two official visitors from WVU’s June 23 date, along with WVU commit Aric Burton, Hunter could be the next in a solid group of linebacker commits. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound linebacker has recorded 20 tackles (11 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble in four games this season for Lowndes.

247Sports rates Hunter as the 1,130th-ranked recruit in the nation, slotting in as 113th-ranked linebacker and the 104th-ranked recruit from Georgia. Rivals rates him as the 38th-ranked outside linebacker and the 48th-ranked recruit from Georgia.

Hunter visited both WVU and Syracuse, visiting the two schools from the eight offers he’s picked up. He expressed his enjoyment of the WVU visit on Twitter, but he hasn’t announced finalists or a decision date for the future.

247Sports and Rival have not projected a landing spot for him yet.

Defensive Line

Jacob Holmes — three-star defensive lineman from Chandler High School in Chandler, Arizona

A cross-town rival of WVU quarterback Nicco Marchiol in Chandler, Holmes would be a nice defensive line snag on the Mountaineers’ defensive front. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive lineman has helped Chandler to a 2-0 start.

According to 247Sports, Holmes is rated as the 161st-ranked defensive lineman and the 20th-ranked recruit from Arizona. Rivals doesn’t currently have a rating for him.

Holmes visited WVU in early June, also visiting Arizona the week after. It appears that Holmes’s recruiting process may be coming down to the two schools. The 2020 All-Region and Defensive Player of the Year would be a good interior addition in a strong defensive line group for WVU.

247Sports and Rivals have not yet projected a landing spot him yet.

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