Official Visits Kind to West Virginia in 2022

West Virginia had six — seven if you count the de-commitment from Cameron Calhoun now — commits heading into the month of June. It was a strong class, headlined by four-star wide receiver Rodney Gallagher and four-star linebacker Josiah Trotter, but it’s only grown since the official visit window.

Of WVU’s official visitors, six had already committed. Of those six, Calhoun has since uncommitted and flipped to Cincinnati. Calhoun, a prior WVU commit who picked up an offer from hometown Cincinnati in early June, flipped to the Bearcats after an official visit and chose to stay home.

Otherwise, the five WVU commits (Gallagher, Trotter, Jahiem White, Josiah Jackson, Rahiem Jeter and Cameron Jackson) have come away even more impressed with the culture and atmosphere in Morgantown. And the success rate of WVU in securing official visitors has been impressive.

Of the 23 official visitors in June, 10 committed in the immediate aftermath of their visits, which when factoring in seven of those 23 visitors already having been committed to WVU, it’s a 65 percent conversion rate.

Now, WVU did lose Calhoun, but other than three-star interior offensive lineman Layth Ghannam (Charleston, West Virginia), there hasn’t been an official visitor that has committed elsewhere yet.

Three visitors remain uncommitted, and two additional visitors remain uncommitted but have named WVU to their list of finalists.

June 3

Rodney Gallagher — previously committed

Jahiem White — previously committed

Josiah Trotter — previously committed

James Heard — committed after visit

Justin Benton — committed after visit

Jayden Sheppard — listed WVU among Top 5

Layth Ghannam — committed to Virginia Tech

Cameron Calhoun — flipped to Cincinnati

It would be hard to land a recruit bigger than Gallagher in the class of 2023. With a name-brand recognition and status as the future of WVU’s wide receiving corps, he’s an immense addition from Neal Brown this cycle.

White was the first commit to WVU’s class, pledging himself following a massive junior season in east-central Pennsylvania, and he adds an additional potential difference-maker to the offense.

Trotter, the son of former All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, was a surprise addition to WVU class that added an elite linebacker headed to Morgantown.

And Heard, a teammate of Trotter’s at powerhouse Philadelphia prep school St. Joseph’s, committed to WVU during his official visit to Morgantown — adding yet another versatile linebacker.

It took Benton a few weeks to narrow down his decision, but the highly sought-after defensive lineman broke crystal ball predictions in favor of national champion Georgia to commit to WVU. And with Trotter, Heard and Benton all visiting during the same weekend, it was perhaps a glimpse into the future of WVU’s front seven.

Sheppard hasn’t yet committed, but he has named WVU to his final five and will be making his college decision later this summer.

Calhoun, a Cincinnati native, wasn’t an all that surprising flip once the Cincy connection began, but it was still a disappointing loss. However, it has opened the door for recruits like Sheppards and recruits yet to be mentioned.

Top in-state recruit Ghannam made his official visit to WVU and set a decision date before any of his other official visits, but he ultimately chose Virginia Tech.

June 10

Josiah Jackson — previously committed

Jordan Louie — committed after visit

Cooper Young — committed after visit

Eamon Smalls — committed after visit

KP Price — uncommitted

The first half of the Jackson brothers, Josiah is one of the top-rated recruits in WVU’s class. The rangy cornerback is exactly the kind of recruit needed to retool the secondary in the next couple of seasons.

Louie, the second running back behind White to commit to WVU’s class, added his pledge just a day after the conclusion of his visit.

Young added his pledge during the final day of his official visit to Morgantown, the first of the offensive linemen to commit to WVU in the class.

And big Smalls (6-foot-2, 300 pounds), who earned his only Power Five offer from WVU, cashed in on his official visit with an official commitment to WVU — showing that the coaching staff clearly values him more than the recruiting services do.

Price hasn’t committed nor named a list of finalists, but with WVU serving as his only official visit, the Mountaineers should be considered a finalist. However, he’s trending toward Boston College to this point.

June 22

Rahiem Jeter — previously committed

Cameron Jackson — previously committed

Johnny Williams IV — committed after visit

Tory Johnson Jr. — committed after visit

Corey MacIntyre Jr. — committed after visit

Ben Cutter — committed after visit

Elijah Caldwell — committed after visit

Tayvon Nelson — listed WVU among Top 5

Amare Campbell — uncommitted

Oryend Fisher — uncommitted

Jeter turned down SEC offers (Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri and Georgia) to commit to WVU last December, and he provides legitimate competition to 2022 four-star quarterback Nicco Marchiol in the years to come.

And Jeter’s Spartanburg teammate Cameron Jackson only took a week longer to commit to WVU. The hulking defensive lineman (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) picked up his only offer from WVU and committed.

The second of WVU’s offensive line commits waited about a week after his official visit, but he now provides a massive — literally — figure to help support the line in years to come. Williams (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) is a huge — again, literally — offensive commit.

Johnson, a WVU legacy, committed to the Mountaineers directly following his official visit and added the big, strong target (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) to Gallagher’s quick-twitch, explosive threat.

McIntyre continued a busy June 25 for WVU, adding his pledge as yet another big man along the trenches. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive tackle continued to the Florida pipeline for WVU.

Cutter was the third June 25 commit for WVU, adding a prototypical linebacker who might not have the major Power Five offers but has the blessing of the coaching staff. Caldwell, who like Cutter was a recruit (wide receiver) without major Power Five offers, added the third wideout to the Mountaineers’ class.

Nelson has since named WVU to his Top 5, setting a decision date for later this month, and big edge rusher Fisher and linebacker Campbell haven’t yet committed or named a list of finalists.

The Non-Visitors

Of course, with 18 commitments, not all of WVU’s commitments have come from official visitors.

The second Jackson brother, Jordan, committed to WVU on June 23 — following official visits to Purdue and Duke — to join Josiah in Morgantown. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete is expected to join his brother in the secondary.

The lone in-state recruit from WVU’s class thus far, Noah Braham picked up his only offer from the Mountaineers and is continuing in his father’s footsteps to play linebacker in Morgantown.

And Will Dixon, a 2023 tight end who has reclassified to the class of 2022 to be eligible to play this season, is the final non-visitor to commit this cycle.