Latest football commit reclassifies, talks pledge to West Virginia

A couple of weeks ago West Virginia picked up a verbal commitment from tight end Victor Wikstrom of Sweden. Wikstrom becomes the 2nd international player to commit to Neal Brown’s staff joining corner Jairo Faverus of England.

There was speculation and some confusion about which class Victor would wind up in, but after speaking with him today he cleared things up. “I reclassified to the 2021 class from the 2020 class.”

So with that being said, he becomes the first commit of the 2021 class.

During his visit and camp experience at West Virginia is when he realized that Morgantown is where he wanted to be and committed shortly after. “I love the location.” Stated Wikstrom. “I liked Morgantown and the environment. I also really liked the facilities, but most of all, I got the family feeling immediately.”

Being far from home is tough for a lot of kids, but Wikstrom believes the coaching staff can help bridge that transition for him. “I love the coaches. They focus on the players and not the stats for their school. I feel that they can develop me into something big!”

For some of you, including myself, often wonder how international players get introduced to football and how they spark interest in the sport. For Wikstrom, he caught on relatively quick after being introduced to the game.

“I’ve only played for five years.” Explained Victor. “A kid brought me to a local practice and after that I was hooked. I played soccer before that for ten years and I left it after the first football practice.”

Currently, Wikstrom is rated as the number one tight end by PPI recruits and attends one of the best international football academies.

“We have a small football community and I go to school where we have a football academy with the best coaches in the country. We actually have a similar program as many d1 colleges in the states which prepares us to come over seas and play ball!”

Futbol and American football do have some similarities believe it or not. Wikstrom believes that some of what he learned in soccer can help him in his football career. “I would say the ability to have control over situations and to also oversee things before they happen.”

At 6’3” 230 lbs, Wikstrom has the body type of Big 12 tight ends and with a couple of years under the tutelage of Neal Brown and his staff, he could end up being a solid hidden gem for the Mountaineers.

Wikstrom also informed me that he will take two more trips to campus prior to enrolling. He will take an unofficial next summer and an official sometime after that.

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