Husband, Father. Managing Editor for
@WVSportsDotCom
. Write stuff and things about West Virginia with
@Rivals
. Heisman Trophy voter. Email: kc10585
@yahoo
.com
#WVU
head coach Neal Brown said that he was glad to see that a national TV audience was able to see how Mountaineer nation supports the team and how much they love football.
New
#WVU
commit Rodney Gallagher tells me that he will not take any other official visits outside one to Morgantown and will begin recruiting other talented players starting today.
New
#WVU
CB commit Dreshun Miller on his pledge.
"They’re the only thing in the state; it’s a very important thing. Not only will I be representing myself and my family but I’ll be representing West Virginia football everywhere I go. That’s a big deal for me. "
The build up to this Pitt game has just been plain fun. This is exactly what college football is supposed to be about. Two teams in close proximity with a long, shared history where the fan bases love to hate each other. The Backyard Brawl being played is good for the sport.
#WVU
WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton had 5 contested catches last night. He had 6 all of last season. Yes, that one play happened but he made play after play to move the sticks. By far the best wide receiver last night and it's a long season.
#WVU
true freshman RB CJ Donaldson piled up 125 yards on 7 carries. A total of 88 of that was after contact for an average of 12.57 yards after being hit.
#WVU
players that have multiple games of at least 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a single game. Rod Thorn (3 times), Jerry West (3 times), Miles McBride (2).
#WVU
WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton is not selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. What exactly is the point of the Combine if those numbers didn't warrant a choice? A 4.38 40-yard dash and 41" vertical at 6-foot-3, 225-pounds.
DE Aaron Lewis (
@aaron_lewis71
) on his commitment to
#WVU
. "I'm a loyal guy. When I made my decision, I made my decision. These coaches if they try to call me, text me all of that -- I'm loyal to the Mountaineers and I'm loyal to West Virginia."
It was a disappointing end to the
#WVU
season, but this team was a joy to watch. Completely reinvented themselves mid-season and didn't technically have a bad loss all year. They played hard and represented well. Could be a strong nucleus returning next year, too.
As of today the
#WVU
2020 recruiting class sits at No. 28 nationally according to
@Rivals
. The highest mark of the Rivals era (2002-present) was No. 24 in 2007. Only three other finishes inside the top 30 over that span. Tip of the cap to
@NealBrown_WVU
and crew.
It's probably not talked about enough but what a job by Jordan Lesley and Jahmile Addae this year filling in as co-defensive coordinators for
#WVU
. Difficult circumstances, but both played their roles and the defensive play elevated.
BREAKING:
#WVU
has landed a major commitment from Philadelphia four-star LB Josiah Trotter. Selected the Mountaineers over Clemson, Penn State, Virginia Tech and South Carolina
Discuss on The Blue Lot:
Bill Self on if
#WVU
should be an NCAA tournament team: “Well, you guys saw them play today. Does that look like an NCAA tournament team to you? And the answer is an emphatic yes. They're good and the league's just really hard. The league is really hard and they're really good.”
#WVU
head coach
@NealBrown_WVU
said he wanted to keep the best West Virginia has to offer home. Last three classes he has landed the state's top prospect.
#WVU
recruiting class is now ranked No. 12 nationally according to
@Rivals
with 16 commitments. The average star ranking of 3.19 would be second highest for the program since 2002.
#WVU
has now added South Carolina guard Erik Stevenson, Iowa point guard Joe Toussaint, Washington forward Emmitt Matthews and Texas forward Tre Mitchell. All had major offers. Quite a portal haul thus far for the Mountaineers looking to bounce back in 2022-23.
#WVU
freshman Oscar Tshiebwe with 19 points and 18 rebounds. It's his second game with at least 17 and 17, the first time any Mountaineers player has done that twice in the same season since Mo Robinson in 1977-78. We're six games into Tshiebwe's career.
#WVU
QB Garrett Greene completed 32-69 passes over 20+ yards down the field for 1,179 yards with 12 touchdowns. His 31 big time throws, which are passes with excellent location and timing, were third most in the nation behind only Michael Penix and Drake Maye.
#WVU
recruiting class now sits at No. 17 nationally with 17 commitments. That would be the highest rated class in since
@rivals
started tracking data in 2002. A lot of time left, but the 2022 class is certainly impressive.
What a start for
#WVU
on a massive recruiting weekend. With 8 commitments now in the boat the Mountaineers 2023 recruiting class sits at No. 15 nationally according to
@Rivals
#WVU
guard Erik Stevenson on not being satisfied with his career high performance. "I still owe (Huggins) a few games. I still owe my teammates a few games and I still owe this fan base a few games."
#WVU
junior running back Leddie Brown has 320 yards rushing in three games. Finished with 367 all of last season. Most of that 320 has come after contact.
By my count, Virginia Tech ran a total of 11 snaps from the
#WVU
10-yard line and in yesterday. That resulted in 6 yards, two turnovers on downs, a missed field goal and additionally a false start.
Can’t say enough about the job that
@NealBrown_WVU
and his staff have done on the recruiting trail. You can make an argument this Wyatt Milum commitment is as big as any in several years for the
#WVU
football program.
Is Jose Perez the only example of a waiver being denied in the last three years? I’m being facetious but the kid’s coach was fired. There’s no reason that waiver should be denied. Absurd.
Again, with the rule changes there is no reason not to get evaluated by the NBA. Encouraging sign to me is that
#WVU
guard Taz Sherman is leaving that door open on a possible return to Morgantown.
There's no reason a player wouldn't get evaluated for the NBA now with the rule changes. I fully expect
#WVU
guard Sean McNeil will return, but there's no downside to it.
#WVU
CB Beanie Bishop said the team wants to have fun but the ultimate goal is to bring a trophy back.
"And we kind of want to see coach Brown doused in mayonnaise."
New
#WVU
guard transfer Jose Perez told me that he basically heard from almost everybody when he entered the portal five days ago. Chose the Mountaineers due to Bob Huggins.
The
#WVU
starting cornerbacks Beanie Bishop and Malachi Ruffin allowed just 9 of 18 passes to be completed in their coverage for 61 yards with a long of 13. The duo also had 3 pass breakups.
That is the first time that a
#WVU
player has scored at least 31 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists in the game game since Jerry West did it twice in 1960. That's some really good company to keep for McBride.
#WVU
has corrected the official box score. A basket that was assigned to Jalen Bridges has been given to sophomore Miles McBride. He finishes the Kansas game with 31 points (9-16 shooting), 7 assists, 7 rebounds.
Mentioned him in my post-game observations, but what a finish for former Bridgeport LB Dylan Tonkery. Played all 67-snaps, graded out highest on the team according to PFF at 87.4 and recorded 11 tackles including three of the most key over the final two possessions for
#WVU
.
Huggins after the game: "This is my fault. This is 100-percent my fault. I recruited these guys, I signed off on recruiting them. I'm supposed to be smart enough to figure out how to get them to play. I haven't been able to. That's on me, that's 100-percent on me. "
#WVU
has corrected the official box score. A basket that was assigned to Jalen Bridges has been given to sophomore Miles McBride. He finishes the Kansas game with 31 points (9-16 shooting), 7 assists, 7 rebounds.
#WVU
has now added six (!) transfer since Dec. 15. Duquesne DB Ayden Garnes, Louisville DB Josh Minkins, Oklahoma State WR Jaden Bray, Colorado State CB TJ Crandall, Gardner-Webb OLB Ty French and Ohio State LB Reid Carrico. That's a lot of talent.
A lot of people are going to talk about Jarret Doege, and rightfully so. But a lot of credit needs to be given to this
#WVU
defense on how it responded after its worst performance of the season last week.
#WVU
has now shot 52-112 from three in the five games since the departure of sophomore Oscar Tshiebwe. That’s 46-percent. They shot 54-178 in the 10 games before. That’s 30-percent. Spacing matters.
#WVU
safety Aubrey Burks all tests were negative and he will be OK. They expect him to go through protocol and be on his way.
LB Tray Lathan had successful surgery but will miss the year and make a full recovery.
#WVU
cornerback commitment Jackie Matthews records an interception to essentially end the game and give his Mississippi Gulf Coast team a JUCO National Championship.
If things stay the way they are today on the roster,
#WVU
is set to return 95-percent of the total rushing yards from the nation's No. 3 rushing offense in 2024. Also 31 of 32 touchdowns on the ground are due back.
#WVU
head coach Bob Huggins on using multiple playing styles with his personnel in different seasons during his time in Morgantown. “I don’t want to write a book, I just want to win.”
Pitt has released their 2022 football schedule and it says what has been rumored for a while.
#WVU
will open the season Sept. 1 against the Panthers on a Thursday night kick on ESPN.
#WVU
big man Gabe Osabuohien only played 7 minutes, but what a valuable 7 minutes it was. Scored 7 points, grabbed a rebound, drew a charge and played excellent defense. +17 in his time on the floor.
This is a monster recruiting win for
#WVU
. Jacolby Spells had a lot of offers including local Miami. Hat tip to the coaching staff for getting this one done.
#WVU
RB Jahiem White averaged 7.7 yards per carry rushing with 842 yards on 109 carries. No other Mountaineers football player has hit a YPC that high with at least 100-attempts dating as far back as 1980. He did this recording only one 50-yard run all season.
Colorado State CB transfer TJ Crandall is a massive pull for
#WVU
at a position of need. Had offers from UCLA, Michigan State, Louisville, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, California, Purdue, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Arizona State and Oregon State.
#WVU
head coach Bob Huggins has landed his Oscar. Five-star prospect and top Mountaineers 2019 recruiting target center Oscar Tshiebwe has committed to West Virginia
#WVU
WR signee Ali Jennings (
@RJXIII
) has informed me that while he is still sorting things out with the coaching search his plan for now is to be prepared and ready to play.
LB Josiah Trotter is another major pull for
#WVU
in the 2023 class. Becomes the first four-star prospect in the group as well. Class moves to No. 19 nationally with only six commitments on
@Rivals