West Virginia can chalk up its latest commitment — two-star junior college defensive end Dontrill Hyman — to the recent addition of assistant coach Brian Mitchell.
Mitchell recruited Hyman to East Carolina two years ago, and subsequently steered the defensive end to Hinds (Miss.) Community College after he failed to qualify.
“Things with Hyman moved rather quickly with West Virginia in the last week,” said Keenan Cummings, senior writer with WVSports.com of the Rivals network. “Although he had been on the radar, an in-home visit with Dana Holgorsen, Erik Slaughter and Brian Mitchell convinced him to take an official visit to Morgantown last weekend, and he had pulled the trigger in the Mountaineers’ favor by weekend’s end.”
Hyman, who said he’s in good academic standing now, registered 7.5 sacks last season and finished third on the Hinds defense with 61 tackles. He also fielded offers from LSU, Mississippi State and ECU.
“Hyman is a pass rusher with explosiveness off the edge, but will need to add a little more weight to his frame once he arrives in Morgantown,” Cummings said. “His addition definitely will improve the Mountaineers ability to get after the passer, but Hyman also isn’t afraid to be active in the run game.
“It’s too early to tell about the possibility of moving around to other positions on the defensive line until he’s in the weightroom, but it was a position that West Virginia needed to address with some of the remaining spots in this class.”
Hyman will have three years to play two at WVU.
National Signing Day is Wednesday.