West Virginia
WVSports – How successful has West Virginia football been with official visits?
For as long as I can remember, one of the staples of recruiting at West Virginia has always been if you get them to campus you have a chance. But does the data back that up? How has the West Virginia Mountaineers football program done when it comes to success with official visits during the course of the Neal Brown era?
In the 2021 class, all of those opportunities were shelved due to the safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But with things back to normal, we examine how the Mountaineers have done with getting players on campus.
What has been the success rate of players that West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and staff have had on campus for official visits during his brief tenure?
Brown took over mid-way through the 2019 class, so those numbers will be skewed both in the aspect of time to recruit players as well as the number of those they were pursuing. With the largest bulk of the class already in place, which Brown had to re-host and secure without losing any they did host an additional eight players on official visits down that stretch run.
Of those eight, West Virginia was able to sign safety Tae Mayo, defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson, safety Rashean Lynn, offensive lineman John Hughes and safety Noah Guzman. However, wide receiver Darren Wilson (Iowa State), offensive lineman Willie Tyler (Texas) and offensive lineman Darnell Wright (Tennessee) all choose to sign elsewhere.
If you consider the 14 players that were already committed to the program the Mountaineers were able to get back in the fold with an additional visit due to the coaching change with Dana Holgorsen heading to Houston and the program signed a total of 19 of the 22 they had on campus.
But for the sake of this we will only count those new players, so the Mountaineers signed five of the eight.
Related: West Virginia building the roster one room at a time
The class of 2020 was a more accurate depiction of what a typical official visit schedule could look like as the Mountaineers hosted 33 total players for official visits. That included the first sampling of early official visits as the coaches hosted 13 players in the summer over two days from June 14-16.
During that early window, the Mountaineers eventually signed six of those players including defensive end Akheem Mesidor. However, seven elected to go elsewhere with defensive end Quentin Williams (Miami), cornerback Tarheeb Still (Maryland), linebacker Tirek Austin-Cave (Miami), wide receiver Bryce Gowdy (Georgia Tech), defensive end Aaron Lewis (Michigan), wide receiver Kris Draine (Missouri) and offensive lineman Samuel Rengert (Iowa State).
Now, those visits are conducted earlier and there is more risk attached, but even hitting on half, especially when you consider that Lewis initially committed to West Virginia before flipping later, is a good turnout at the early stages of the process.
Of the 20 other prospects that West Virginia hosted for official visits over the rest of the process, the Mountaineers landed a total of 14 of those. The only exceptions were defensive end Simeon Barrow (Michigan State), defensive end Wesley Bailey (Rutgers), cornerback Lakevias Daniel (Mississippi), defensive end Yaya Diaby (Louisville), defensive end Justin Jackson (Colorado), and safety Charles Bell (Marshall). And out of that list, some of those decisions were ultimately made by West Virginia.
During the 2021 class, there were no official visits permitted, but the Mountaineers continued to show their success when they were able to get players on campus. Out of the 16 commitments, a total of 12 of them visited for some type of junior day or activity during their recruitment.
In the 2022 class, the numbers again were impressive with the Mountaineers hosting 46 prospects visiting with a total of 21 of those committing to the program.
And in 2023, West Virginia hosted 36 players and 19 of those committed. The 2024 group hosted 46 official visitors and has landed 22 of those.
Overall, the data shows that only 84 of the 183 non-transfer players who have taken official visits to West Virginia since Brown has been atop the program have elected to go elsewhere.
Thatâs hitting on 54-percent of the players that the program has hosted, and that total doesnât even include the ones that West Virginia elected to pass on for whatever reason that was ultimately their decision and not the players.
Getting players to campus has certainly been a weapon for the coaches and the data backs it up.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history, compiled by the West Virginia Humanities Council from its online encyclopedia, e-WV.
April 19, 1896: Writer Melville Davisson Post was born in Harrison County. His best-known works are the Randolph Mason series, published in three volumes, and the more successful collection Uncle Abner: Master of Mysteries.
April 19, 1902: Author Jean Lee Latham was born in Buckhannon. She wrote a number of children’s books, including Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, which won the 1956 Newbery Award.
April 20, 1823: Gen. Jesse Lee Reno was born in Wheeling. He graduated from West Point in 1846 with another cadet from western Virginia, Thomas J. Jackson, later known as “Stonewall.” Reno was the highest-ranking officer from present West Virginia killed in the Civil War.
April 20, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that in 60 days, West Virginia would become a state. The occasion was marked 100 years later during the state’s Centennial celebration with a special ceremonial session of the West Virginia Legislature on April 20, 1963, in Wheeling.
April 20, 1909: Fiddler Melvin Wine was born near Burnsville in Braxton County. A favorite of old-time music enthusiasts nationally, he was chosen as a National Heritage Fellow in 1991 by the National Endowment for the Arts — the highest recognition given to a folk artist in the United States.
April 20, 1939: Poet Irene McKinney was born in Belington, Barbour County. Gov. Gaston Caperton appointed her state poet laureate in 1993, and she served in that capacity until her death in 2012.
April 21, 1908: Musician Phoeba Cottrell Parsons was born in Calhoun County. Parsons’ traditional clawhammer banjo style, unaccompanied ballad singing, riddles and storytelling have influenced countless younger musicians.
April 21, 1936: President Franklin Roosevelt established the Jefferson National Forest. The West Virginia portion of the forest includes about 19,000 acres in Monroe County.
April 22, 1908: Marshall “Little Sleepy” Glenn was born in Elkins. Glenn coached basketball at West Virginia University from 1934 to 1938 and football from 1937 to 1940. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
April 22, 1948: Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and musician Larry Groce was born in Dallas, Texas. He is best known as the longtime host and artistic director of the Mountain Stage radio program.
April 22, 2003: Activist Judy Bonds, a Raleigh County native, received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her fight against mountaintop removal mining. Her efforts inspired thousands and turned a local West Virginia issue into a national cause.
April 23, 1857: Andrew S. Rowan was born in Gap Mills, Monroe County. Rowan, a military officer, was chosen as the messenger when President William McKinley wanted to send a message to Cuban Gen. Calixto Garcia during the Spanish-American War. The 1899 pamphlet A Message to Garcia made the incident famous.
April 24, 1865: McNeill’s Rangers surrendered to Union troops at New Creek — now Keyser. The Confederate guerrilla force probably never numbered more than 100 men at any time but managed to inflict regular damage on Union operations.
April 25, 1863: In what became known as the Jones-Imboden Raid, about 1,500 Confederate soldiers under Gen. William “Grumble” Jones advanced through Greenland Gap, a deep pass through New Creek Mountain in present Grant County. The Confederates encountered 87 Union soldiers who held off several assaults before finally surrendering.
April 25, 1923: Union leader Arnold Ray Miller was born at Leewood on Cabin Creek in Kanawha County. In December 1972, he defeated Tony Boyle to become president of the United Mine Workers and served until 1979.
e-WV is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information, contact the council at 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301, call 304-346-8500 or visit wvencyclopedia.org.
During the Gold-Blue spring game on Saturday, the West Virginia coaching staff named wide receiver Cyrus Traught the recipient of the 2026 Tommy Nikolich Award.
The award, which is always given out at the end of spring ball, recognizes a walk-on team member who has distinguished himself through his attitude and work ethic. The award is presented in memory of Tommy Nickolich, a former WVU player (1980-82) who passed away from cancer in 1983.
Traugh is a Parkersburg native and graduate of Parkersburg South High School. He began his career at Youngstown State before transferring back home to play for the Mountaineers last season. In his final year with the Penguins, he logged 36 receptions, 409 yards, and a team-leading five touchdowns, two of which came against Pitt.
During the 2025 campaign with the Mountaineers, he saw action against Robert Morris and Kansas, playing 10 snaps against the Jayhawks, but did not record any stats.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez has mentioned him twice this spring as someone who has been doing some good things and making progress. Wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett also showed him some love during his press conference last week.
The Mountaineers completely revamped the wide receiver room this offseason, upping the level of talent at both inside and outside receiver spots, but perhaps Traugh can work his way into the mix if he puts together a strong summer and fall camp. If he’s not a regular in the rotation, he’ll serve as a quality depth piece who can play special teams.
Past Nickolich Award winners:
2025: Clay Ash, RB
2024: Avery Wilcox, S
2023: C.J. Cole, WR
2022: Nick Malone, OL
2021: Graeson Malashevich, WR/H
2020: Osman Kamara, S
2019: Jake Abbott, LB
2018: Evan Staley, K
2017: Nick Meadows, LS
2016: Jon Lewis, DL
2015: Justin Arndt, LB
2014: Michael Calicchio, OL
2013: Connor Arlia, WR
2012: Tyler Anderson, DE
2011: Ryan Nehlen, WR
2010: Matt Lindamood, FB
2009: Josh Taylor, DL
2008: Adam Hughes, LS
2007: Andy Emery, LB
2006: Tim Lindsey, LS
2005: George Shehl, H/DB
2004: Jeff Noechel, LB
2003: John Pennington, WR
2002: Moe Fofana, RB
2001: Jeremy Knapp, TE
2000: Ben Collins, LB
1999: Bryan Lorenz, LB
1998: Mark Corman, TE
1997: David Lightcap, DB
1996: Matt Ceresa, OL
1995: Rob Keys, DB
1994: Randy Fulmore, DB
1993: Matt McCulty, WR
1992: Brett Parise, WR, Ray Wilcox, LB
1991: Keith Taparausky, RB
Follow
Enter your email and we’ll send a secure one-click link to sign in.
WVNS is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
WVNS is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
-
West Virginia35 seconds agoThis week in West Virginia history: April 19-25
-
Wyoming7 minutes agoIdaho semitruck driver involved in fatal accident at Wyoming FlyingJ – East Idaho News
-
Crypto13 minutes agoUpcoming ‘Bitcoin’ Movie With Casey Affleck, Gal Gadot Probes Satoshi’s Identity
-
Finance19 minutes agoHong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Iran conflict
-
Fitness24 minutes agoHow the 3-3-3 Rule Helped Me Stick to an Exercise Routine
-
Movie Reviews37 minutes agoFILM REVIEW: ROSE OF NEVADA – Joyzine
-
World49 minutes ago
Oil prices rise anew after a US-Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz strands tankers
-
News55 minutes agoVideo: 8 Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting, Police Say
