MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia landed its second commitment in the span of 16 hours as Walter Rauterkus, a two-star offensive lineman from Avon (Ohio) High School, chose the Mountaineers over Ohio.
At 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, Rauterkus was drawing interest from several Big Ten and Mid-American Conference programs.
“Rauterkus is a late bloomer,” said Rivals writer Keenan Cummings of WVSports.com. “He only stood 6-foot-2 during his freshman season before developing into the big offensive tackle he is now.
“A former basketball player, he has great feet and has the frame to easily add 25-plus pounds in college. This is a pickup that has his best days ahead of him, and the Mountaineers were the first to offer him a scholarship and ultimately that, along with his relationship with Ron Crook was enough to seal the deal.”
Rauterkus is the 10th overall commitment for WVU’s class of 2014 and the fourth on the offensive line—meaning Dana Holgorsen and his staff will probably begin concentrating elsewhere as they aim to maximize a relatively small class of 18 or 19 signees.
West Virginia’s other offensive line commitments include another Ohio player—three-star Josh Krok of Niles-McKinley High— along with two-star recruit Amanii Brown of Morgantown and three-star Justin Scott of Pierce (Calif.) Community College.