Get to know each of the West Virginia Mountaineers football commitments in the 2025 recruiting class with this feature from WVSports.com.
West Virginia
WVSports – Meet the West Virginia Mountaineers football 2025 commitments
Cheshire (Ct.) Academy wide receiver Teriq Mallory received an offer from West Virginia in January after a stop by campus for a junior day event and held the program in high regard. However, he would announce a commitment to Wake Forest in mid-April and things seemed to come to a standstill with the Mountaineers. But due to the persistence of wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall, Mallory made it back to Morgantown for an official visit during the May 31 weekend and saw enough during that trip to flip his commitment in favor of West Virginia. Mallory is being targeted as a big outside wide receiver option that can stretch the field and go up and get the football. He collected other offers from Maryland, Duke and several more.
2025 WR Mallory flips commitment to West Virginia
Commitment 101
WR Mallory talks his top four
2025 WR Mallory discusses offer, visit to West Virginia
Highlights
Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic Community running back Deandre Desinor was a top target for the West Virginia coaching staff from early on in the process. Offensive coordinator Chad Scott served as the lead recruiter and developed a strong bond with the talented running back which proved to be critical. Desinor made multiple visits to West Virginia throughout the process and his comfort level with the program led to him committing to the Mountaineers after his official visit at the beginning of June. Selected West Virginia over an offer list that included Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Texas A&M, UCF and Louisville, among others. A major pick up for the program given his versatile skill set and what he can do with the ball in his hands.
Rivals250 RB Desinor commits to West Virginia
Commitment 101
Highlights
Committed: May 22
Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive lineman Gavin Crawford received a scholarship offer from West Virginia in January of 2023 and the Mountaineers only continued to further develop a bond from that point. Crawford collected a long list of scholarship offers from schools such as Florida, Maryland, UCLA, Tennessee, Georgia, Pittsburgh, Michigan State and Duke but committed to the Mountaineers in large part due to his comfort level with the program and the coaching staff. Crawford was a frequent visitor to Morgantown and developed a close bond with offensive line coach Matt Moore. Slated to play on the interior of the offensive line, Crawford gives the Mountaineers a major piece up front in the 2025 class to join what was already in place. The expectation is that he will enroll early to start his career in Morgantown.
OL Crawford commits to West Virginia
Commitment 101
Crawford discusses West Virginia commitment
2025 OL Crawford building strong ties with West Virginia staff
Highlights
Committed: April 27
De Forest (Wi.) tight end Jackson Accuardi received an offer from West Virginia in November and things only continued to build from that point between the two. Tight ends coach Blaine Stewart served as the lead recruiter and developed a strong bond that ended up being critical in his commitment. Accuardi collected other offers from Michigan State, Iowa State, Missouri, Louisville, Colorado, Duke, Illinois and Indiana but committed to West Virginia on the day of the spring game. Accuardi is a big bodied tight end that is effective not only as a receiver but a blocker which is a perfect match for what the Mountaineers wanted at the position in this class.
2025 TE Accuardi commits to West Virginia
Commitment 101
2025 TE Accuardi discusses West Virginia
Highlights
Committed: April 13
Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive lineman Eidan Buchanan grew up following the West Virginia football program due to his family connections to the state. And once the Mountaineers jumped into the mix with a scholarship offer after an impressive performance at the big man camp in the summer of 2023 the program surged up his list. Buchanan narrowed his options down to West Virginia, Rutgers, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Maryland before committing to the Mountaineers. Offensive line coach Matt Moore served as the lead recruiter for Buchanan and that connected proved critical in his commitment. The 6-foot-8 lineman is being slotted as a tackle in the West Virginia offensive scheme and fills a major need for the program.
2025 OL Buchanan picks West Virginia football
Commitment 101
2025 OL Buchanan has ties to West Virginia, adds offer
Highlights
Committed: April 4
Huntington (W.Va.) athlete Zah Jackson popped up on the West Virginia radar as a freshman and things only continued to build from there. The in-state native took multiple visits to Morgantown for junior days and camps before things took a big turn when he received a scholarship offer in the summer of 2023. From there, Jackson listed the Mountaineers among his top options and selected the program over a number of other schools including his finalists North Carolina State, Mississippi State and Liberty. A two-way athlete, Jackson could play several different positions in college and gives West Virginia another in-state prospect in the class.
2025 in-state athlete Jackson picks West Virginia
Commitment 101
In-state athlete Jackson talks West Virginia commitment
2025 in-state athlete Jackson talks West Virginia, top four
2025 in-state athlete Jackson adds West Virginia offer
2025 in-state athlete Jackson impresses at camp
Highlights
Committed: April 4
Haverford (Pa.) The Haverford School offensive lineman Thomas Barr received his first scholarship offer from West Virginia in July of 2023 and things only continued to build from that point. Offensive line coach Matt Moore, along with offensive coordinator Chad Scott, served as the lead recruiters for Barr and was able to get him on campus multiple times for visits leading to him committing to the program. Barr has the versatility to play several different positions along the offensive line but will start his career at center.
2025 OL Barr commits to West Virginia
Commitment 101
Commitment key in 2025 OL Barr’s path to West Virginia
Highlights
Committed: November 18
Mentor (Oh.) quarterback Scotty Fox received an offer from West Virginia in May and from that point forward became a priority for the Mountaineers in their class. The Ohio native took trips to Morgantown on multiple occasions including for a summer camp and for games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Quarterbacks coach Sean Reagan served as the lead recruiter for Fox and developed a strong connection with him which was critical in his decision-making process. After that visit for the Cincinnati game, Fox cast his lot with the Mountaineers giving the program a signal caller which they prioritized on the recruiting trail into the fold early in the process. On top of West Virginia, Fox held offers from Michigan State, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Boston College, Indiana, Connecticut and several others.
2025 QB Fox commits to West Virginia
Commitment 101
QB Fox enjoys another stop at West Virginia
Offered 2025 QB Fox discusses West Virginia camp stop
2025 QB Fox adds West Virginia offer, maps out return visit
Highlights
Committed: September 17
Hurricane (W.Va.) wide receiver Tyshawn Dues had long been interested in the West Virginia football program as an in-state prospect but things picked up tremendously when he earned a scholarship offer following an impressive summer camp stop. In that camp Dues was timed at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and it didn’t take him too long to act on the opportunity. A few months later, Dues informed lead recruiter wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall that he was ready to pull the trigger and become the first commitment in the 2025 class. Dues is being targeted as a wide receiver and was a good start to the class with the Mountaineers becoming the first power five program to offer.
West Virginia adds 2025 in-state WR Dues
Commitment 101
2025 WR Dues discusses pledge
2025 WR Dues grabs first power five offer from West Virginia
2025 in-state WR Dues on radar for West Virginia
Highlights
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A Virginia mother of three was allegedly lured to her death by a man she was romantically involved with, who dangled a job offer that convinced her to uproot her life and move more than 100 miles to West Virginia.
Angel Whitaker, 37, left her Bristol, Va., home in January 2026 for a new job in Bluefield, W.Va., after former work associate Donald Pennington, 59, allegedly offered her an assistant manager position at an O’Reilly Auto Parts in Bluefield, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WVNSTV.
Whitaker, who allegedly met Pennington at a Bristol auto shop in 2018 and began a relationship with him shortly after, moved in with him after relocating to West Virginia.
However, by April, her family had lost all contact with her, and on May 4, her sister Angela reported her missing.
Investigators said the relationship had grown strained after Whitaker moved in with Pennington, and in the weeks before her disappearance, her sister told police Whitaker had moved into a Princeton hotel to distance herself from the situation.
Whitaker was last seen on April 17, 2026, when she allegedly showed up to work intoxicated — Pennington told police he drove her home, but when he returned from work later that day, she was gone.
More than a week after Whitaker was reported missing, Pennington’s ex-girlfriend met with investigators on May 12 and told them, “You’re not going to find her, he murdered her.”
She also told investigators the two had been constantly arguing in the weeks before Whitaker vanished.
Investigators said Pennington had previously called his ex-girlfriend and told her he left work on April 17 to break up an argument between Whitaker and a family member, and that Whitaker had made threatening claims against him, according to WVNSTV.
He allegedly met his ex-girlfriend at a mall that same day and told her Whitaker had threatened to kill him — and that’s when he “snapped,” the complaint states.
The ex-girlfriend told investigators Pennington picked Whitaker up by her throat and choked her until she stopped breathing, then allegedly showed her a photo of Whitaker’s body taken from the victim’s phone.
Investigators also alleged Pennington disposed of Whitaker’s phones by soaking them in bleach and destroying their SIM cards.
The ex-girlfriend told investigators she later met Pennington at a Lowe’s in Bluefield, Va., where he purchased multiple bags of concrete before the two drove to Bastian, Va., about 18 miles away, where he allegedly buried Whitaker’s body.
She led investigators to the location, where Virginia State Police cadaver dogs were deployed but failed to locate Whitaker’s remains. She also handed over her phone to investigators, admitting she had deleted messages from Pennington about the alleged murder, according to WVNSTV.
Pennington was arrested on May 13 and is being held at West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.
He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and concealment of a body.
Whitaker leaves behind three children — 18-year-old son Braiden, 17-year-old daughter Daizy and 12-year-old son Christopher — according to a GoFundMe set up by her family to help with funeral expenses.
West Virginia could have removed all doubt last night with a win over Kansas in the Big 12 Conference championship, but with the 9-0 loss, there is some concern from the fanbase as to whether or not the selection committee will exclude them from the top 16, which will be revealed tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
If you ask me and many others, West Virginia’s resume is simply too good to ignore and should be locked into a hosting spot. Finishing the year with 21 wins in Big 12 play, sweeping the conference champs on the road, and losing just two series on the season is host-worthy.
So, where could the Mountaineers land in the top 16? Who are the other hosts? Here are my predictions.
My projected Top 16 (regional hosts)
No. 1: UCLA
No. 2: Georgia Tech
No. 3: North Carolina
No. 4: Georgia
No. 5: Auburn
No. 6: Texas
No. 7: Florida
No. 8: Florida State
No. 9: Alabama
No. 10: Texas A&M
No. 11: Southern Miss
No. 12: Kansas
No. 13: Oregon
No. 14: Nebraska
No. 15: West Virginia
No. 16: Arkansas
Comparing WVU to other possible hosts
Rankings in order of appearance: DSR, RPI, KPI = Average
West Virginia: 10, 17, 12 = 13
The Mountaineers dropped a couple of spots in the RPI and just one spot in the DSR and KPI following their loss in the title game to Kansas. With how tight the race has been for the final few host spots, it’s clear that they did themselves a massive favor by winning a couple of games in the conference tournament.
Arkansas: 13, 21, 13 = 15.6
The Razorbacks, in my opinion, have the best chance of the teams listed to be above West Virginia. I don’t see there being another that would kick WVU off the one line. Arkansas beat Tennessee, Texas, and Auburn en route to an appearance in the SEC championship game.
Ole Miss: 19, 16, 14 = 16.3
The Rebels went 5-5 in SEC series, leading to an even 15-15 mark. They didn’t help their cause by being a one-and-done in the conference tournament, losing to Missouri. Losing three of their last four will be on the committee’s mind.
Mississippi State: 12, 12, 11 = 11.6
While the metrics like the Bulldogs more than WVU and the others, they’re late season slide is going to impact their chances of hosting. Going 4-6 in their last 10 to end the regular season, and being swept by a projected No. 2 seed, Tennessee, will hurt them.
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A Boy Scout river trip turned into a rescue mission Saturday after fast-moving floodwaters trapped 28 scouts in West Virginia.
The scouts were traveling along the Cacapon River in Hampshire County on Saturday afternoon when fast-moving water intensified unexpectedly, forcing the troop to head toward the bank.
But the boys — from Fairfax, Virginia — soon found themselves trapped on the wrong side of the river.
Micah Campbell, who was with the scouts, told Fox News Digital the troop had planned a routine river trip before conditions quickly worsened following the storm.
TEXAS GIRL RESCUED AFTER SAND HOLE SHE WAS DIGGING COLLAPSES, BURYING HER
Twenty-eight Boy Scouts were rescued after rising waters stranded the troop along the Cacapon River in West Virginia. (Jeffrey West)
“We were doing a river trip and the current and the strength of the river turned out to be a little stronger than we thought,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the scouts initially moved toward land for safety before realizing they were stranded.
“When some of the boys went into the river, we decided to call it off and go on shore,” he said. “And now we were on the wrong side of the river, so we needed some help getting across.”
TEXAS SUMMER CAMP EVACUATED 70 STAYING NEAR RIVER AHEAD OF FLOODING: ‘SAW IT COMING’
A troop from Fairfax, Virginia, became stranded during a river trip in West Virginia before rescue crews brought them to safety. (Jeffrey West)
Jeffrey West, whose father owns a cabin near where the scouts became stranded, said rescue crews were called to the scene.
Watercraft eventually arrived and transported the boys safely across the river.
Altogether, the scouts were stranded for roughly 45 minutes.
“It’s been a day,” West said with a laugh, adding that he had originally planned a “quiet weekend at the cabin.”
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Emergency crews responded after a Boy Scout troop became stranded along a river in Hampshire County, West Virginia. (Jeffrey West)
West said the boys later gathered at the cabin, where they were given pizza and hot cocoa while waiting for transportation home.
He added that arrangements were being made to shuttle the scouts out of the area.
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