MORGANTOWN. W.Va.— After the exceptional career Tavon Austin enjoyed at West Virginia, the latest Baltimore-Dunbar quarterback to win a stack of high school state championships must have seemed like an easy recruit for the Mountaineers.
Only Lonnie Galloway and WVU’s coaches were careful not to push the legacy storyline on William Crest.
“You try not to put anyone of that stuff on a kid, because for him (the experience) might be different,” Galloway said.
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The four-star Crest, the nation’s No. 7 dual-threat quarterback according to Rivals.com, was among the prized signees for West Virginia this week. He’s expected to arrive in June and join an unsettled position battle..
Galloway, who’s in his second stint as West Virginia receivers coach, acknowledged the Austin connection was little more than a talking point early in Crest’s recruitment. And even though NCAA guidelines allowed for Austin to chat with the four-star Crest (because they attended the same high school), Galloway said he was cautious not to over-leverage the link.
“Never did I tell Tavon that you’ve got to tell William to come here,” he said.
Committed since last April, Crest remained a target for numerous major programs, but West Virginia’s staff never sensed he was looking around for
“We felt good about him the whole time,” Galloway said. “Once that kid committed here, he didn’t go on any other trips. He’s a man of his word and that’s what makes you feel good about that kid.
“I think he would have come to West Virginia even if I wasn’t here. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Galloway’s also happy to envision the strong-armed Crest developing into a multi-dimensional threat.
“In college football and even the pros, there are not a lot of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning-type players out there who are just patting the ball and standing in the pocket,” he said. “With the way defenses are running, you have to be able to extend the play. You have to move and get yourself out of trouble.”