The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has landed a commitment from Danville (Ky.) Boyle County 2025 athlete Montavin Quisenberry.
Quisenberry, 5-foot-8, 166-pounds, picked the Mountaineers over other scholarship offers from Michigan, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisville and Virginia Tech.
However, his final choices came down to West Virginia and Louisville after visiting each of those programs on back-to-back weekends for official visits. Kentucky also was heavily involved but he did not make that trip.
Secondary coach ShaDon Brown served as the lead recruiter for Quisenberry, and that connection proved critical to keep the Mountaineers in the mix throughout the course of the process. Quisenberry was an early target for the West Virginia coaches and that persistence helped to land him in the class.
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A jack-of-all-trades type of athlete, Quisenberry is slotted to play inside wide receiver for the Mountaineers and is coming off a season where he recorded 43 catches for 864 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing 82 times for 800 yards and 18 more scores. He also had five touchdowns on special teams returns.
Quisenberry becomes third wide receiver to commit to West Virginia in the 2025 class behind Hurricane (W.Va.) wide receiver Tyshawn Dues and Cheshire (Ct.) Academy 2025 wide receiver Teriq Mallory.He is the 17th commitment overall for the Mountaineers this cycle.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Quisenberry and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Quisenberry is the type of athlete that you find ways to get the football in his hands given what he can do with it. He possesses plus speed and excellent vision which he uses to get up field in a hurry. While he isn’t the biggest option as a pass catcher, Quisenberry more than makes up for it with his athleticism and explosion.
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Has good contact balance and is able to keep his feet to generate big plays. Quisenberry is comfortable both taking hand-offs or catching the football and is a threat to score anytime he gets the football at the high school level. Those skills should allow him to become effective at several different positions and even be an asset for the Mountaineers in the element of the return game.
Fitting the program:
Quisenberry has been to West Virginia on multiple occasions and there is a trust level with the coaching staff that has been forged over time. He is from an area where the Mountaineers have strong ties on the coaching staff and good connection with the high school coaches.
Kentucky has become more of an area of emphasis since head coach Neal Brown took over the football program and Quisenberry is a strong addition from an area that has been difficult to crack into.
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Quisenberry is an all-purpose type of athlete that could be used in a variety of roles but is slotted to start his career on the inside where he will be a natural fit for what West Virginia wants to do there. The Mountaineers have 12 scholarship wide receivers on the roster, but the bulk of those are more outside oriented. That’s not to say that there won’t be competition but given all he can do with the football in his hands it opens the door for him to try to work his way onto the field earlier if he proves capable.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia is still involved with several key options at the wide receiver position with Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch 2025 wide receiver Samari Reed and Drexel Hill (Pa.) Monsignor Bonner 2025 wide receiver Jalil Hall. The Mountaineers have now added several key pieces to the room, but the program still is very much in the mix for that list and it’s likely that they could still in the class.
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Another successful weekend for the West Virginia Mountaineers results in another slight bump up in the top 25 rankings. WVU took two of three from Kennesaw State on the road, allowing them to slide up to No. 23 in D1Baseball’s new batch of rankings.
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D1Baseball’s Top 25 for Week 3
1. UCLA 2. LSU 3. Texas 4. Mississippi State 5. Georgia Tech 6. Arkansas 7. Auburn 8. North Carolina 9. Florida 10. Southern Miss 11. Georgia 12. Oklahoma 13. NC State 14. Clemson 15. Wake Forest 16. Coastal Carolina 17. TCU 18. Oregon State 19. Tennessee 20. Florida State 21. Kentucky 22. Texas A&M 23. West Virginia 24. Miami 25. UTSA
Missed opportunity
West Virginia had a 6-0 lead in game three of its series against Kennesaw State, looking well on their way to a clean three-game sweep of the Owls.
Unfortunately for Steve Sabins, the bullpen imploded following another strong five-inning outing from the big lefty Maxx Yehl. Bryson Thacker, Carson Estridge, and David Perez combined to give up four runs on five hits over the final three innings, allowing the Owls to steal Sunday’s game.
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The loss frustrated West Virginia fans and rightfully so, but there’s no need to panic. The name of the game is to continue winning the series. You do that, you’ll find yourself in a position to make the NCAA Tournament and earn a high seed. Obviously, you don’t want to blow the opportunity of a sweep, especially when you’re up 6-0, but it’s not a loss that is going to ruin their resume. Losing the series, on the other hand, would have.
What’s next for the Mountaineers?
No single mid-week game this week for West Virginia. Instead, they’ll play a quick two-game series against Radford at home beginning Tuesday. They’ll get one day of rest before opening up a three-game series at home against Columbia, which will be the final series of non-conference play. WVU will have a single mid-week game against Maryland on Tuesday, March 10th, before beginning Big 12 action on the road against Baylor.
West Virgnia built a six-run lead through five and half innings, but the Kennesaw State Owls (5-5) scored seven unanswered runs in three frames to knock off the Mountaineers (8-2) Sunday afternoon 7-6.
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West Virginia captured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after sophomore Matt Ineich hit a leadoff single before sophomore Gavin Kelly and senior Paul Schoenfeld were issued walks to load the bases with two outs on the board. Then, redshirt freshman Ryan Maggy line a two-RBI single to centerfield in his first career start.
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The Mountaineers extended their lead in the second when Kelly hit a three went opposite field for a three-run home run, his first of the season, for a 5-0 advantage.
West Virginia starting southpaw pitcher Maxx Yehl threw five scoreless innings. The redshirt junior recorded four strikeouts on the day and limited the Owls to four hits.
Kelly added a run in the sixth, clearing the centerfield wall for his second home run of the afternoon and a 6-0 WVU lead.
Redshirt sophomore Bryson Thacker took the mound in the six. After a high and wide throw on a ground ball, a walk, and with two outs, junior Cooper Williams drooped an RBI single in right field to put the Owls on the board. Then, a pitch in the dirt rolled to the backstop to add another run, closing the gap to four, 6-2.
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Carson Estridge was handed the ball in the seventh. The senior right-hander gave up a leadoff double before registering the next two outs, including a strikeout, before freshman McCollum line an RBI single just out of the reach of the glove of Kelly. Senior Jackson Chirello cut the deficit one, hammering the 3-1 pitch well over the right field wall and into the Waffle House parking lot for a two-run home run.
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West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins turned to the clubhouse leader in saves David Perez to get the Mountaineers out of the inning. The freshman returned to the mound in the eighth. Senior Jamarie Brooks reached after hitting a sharp ground ball over to first that went between the legs of senior Ben Lumsden. Then, Williams blasted a two-run home run and a 7-6 Owls lead.
In the ninth, senior Matthew Graveline nearly tied the game with the swing of the bat, driving 0-2 pitch off the top of the left field wall for a one-out double to put the Mountaineers into scoring position. However, redshirt senior Harry Cain sat the last two Mountaineer hitters to collect his second win of the season as the Owls completed the comeback with the 7-6 decision.
West Virginia is back in action on Tuesday for the first of a two-game series against Radford. Game one and game two (Weds) are both scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the all the action will stream on ESPN+.
Delegate Larry Kump of Berkeley County has died, state officials announced. Kump was 78 years old.
Larry Kump
Kump, a Republican, served in the House from 2010 to 2014, again from 2018 to 2020 and finally 2022 to the present. He had announced plans to run again in the coming electoral cycle.
“As a battle-tested and liberty minded Christian and Constitutional Conservative, my consecrated action principles of good governance remains solid and steadfast,” he wrote to supporters in January.
He had been serving in the ongoing legislative session, but had been absent in recent weeks.
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The daily prayer in the House of Delegates this past Wednesday included an expression of concern for Kump: “A special prayer for Delegate Larry Kump. Lord, you know where he is in the hospital now, and I pray right now that you would send your angels there to touch him, to be with him.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kump’s death on social media, calling Kump “a devoted public servant who dedicated many years of his life to improving West Virginia.
“Delegate Kump served with a deep commitment to the principles he believed would strengthen our communities and protect our freedoms.
“On behalf of the First Lady and myself, we extend our condolences to Larry’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. His legacy of service and his love for our state will never be forgotten.”
Secretary of State Kris Warner also posted condolences to Kump’s family. “Larry was a conservative Christian and a true Mountaineer! He will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues,” Warner posted.
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The West Virginia Democratic Party also put out a statement to offer condolences, saying Kump’s work reflected a lifelong commitment to accountability, public policy, and the effective administration of government.
“Delegate Larry Kump devoted his life to his family, his community, and to his state. He brought experience, independence and thoughtfulness to his role, and he never lost sight of the people he served,” said Mike Pushkin, the Democratic Party chairman who is also a delegate from Kanawha County.
Kump was known for his turns of phrase, for example kicking off his comments on the House floor with “Great googly moogly” for emphasis. He often described his adoration for his “beloved and bodacious wife Cheryl.”
He regularly concluded interactions and written communications this way: “Meanwhile, and for sure and for certain, may God bless you all real good!”
