MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When WVU landed a commitment from 6-foot-8 offensive lineman Josh Krok, his high school coach said the Mountaineers landed “a loyal person” who won’t play decommitting games.
Niles-McKinley (Ohio) High School coach Brian Shaner, speaking with the MetroNews “Sportsline” crew on Thursday night, said Krok “is so West Virginia right now and so glad that this process has come to an end. This is as solid as it can get.”
While Krok had Louisville and Cincinnati top among his finalists, Shaner said higher-profile programs were advancing.
“He turned down four major programs just for visits, knowing he made his mind up,” Shaner said. “Three of them were the top dogs in the Big Ten and the other was one of the major factors in the SEC.”
Shaner praised WVU assistant Tony Gibson for making a strong impression when he extended Krok his first official major-college offer.
“Josh knew from Day 1,” Shaner said. “(WVU) believed in him without an additional workout, without an additional this and that. He’s been a Mountaineer for a while now. He loved the university and he loved Coach Gibson right away.”
Though many offensive linemen recruits typically expend a redshirt season, Shaner predicted Krok would compete for playing time as a true freshman.
“I look for Josh to come in and compete right away,” Shaner said. “He’s not going to go in there with the mentality that ‘I’m second-string.’ He’s going to go in there and say, ‘I’m starting somewhere on that offensive line.’ He loves to compete.”
“He’s got that mean streak that you like in a lineman. He’s got a big wingspan and great feet. And coaches are supposed to say (their players) have great feet. But (when) we do feet drills and agilities, he doesn’t work out with our linemen. He does it with our wide receivers because his feet are that good. He’s the real deal.”