MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With four-star offensive lineman Josh Ball slated to announce his college commitment Friday, West Virginia coaches are holding out hope he’ll help them make inroads in talent-steeped Virginia.
The Mountaineers haven’t had much of a batting average in Virginia, luring only one signee from its easterly neighbor in the past five years. That player, however, was highly-touted receiver Gary Jennings, who chose WVU on signing day last February.
Assistant coaches Lonnie Galloway and Ron Crook are leading the charge for Ball, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound tackle from Fredericksburg who’s rated by Rivals as the No. 9 prospect in Virginia and No. 185 nationwide.
“They’d love to get into Virginia, but it’s been hard for WVU to pull kids out of there,” said Rivals writer Keenan Cummings. “They’ll have a kid declare West Virginia their leader and then end up signing with Virginia or Virginia Tech.”
Even the in-state schools figure to be longshots for landing Ball, who expedited his commitment date after visiting Auburn and Florida State last week. The Seminoles currently own the No. 2-ranked class in the nation and look to be the favorite for Ball, partially thanks to offensive line coach Rick Trickett.
“I’ve met coach Trickett before and he kind of set things off,” Ball told Rivals.com. “I love that dude. He is one of my favorite offensive line coaches. Coach (Jimbo) Fisher is really down to earth. He’s really straight-up and he’s a great guy. I love the strength and conditioning coaches too. We drove around the campus after we got there. It’s beautiful and a great atmosphere.”
Ball also is considering Penn State, South Carolina and Maryland, though he lists West Virginia among his finalists.
“The coaches at West Virginia were great,” he said. “I love Coach Crook and Coach Galloway is a great recruiting coach. Coach Holgorsen is a great guy and is very down to earth. The fan base is amazing and they’ve helped by reaching out to me. It feels homey there and I’ve loved West Virginia from the start.”
The Mountaineers are pursuing several other high-profile recruits from Virginia, including four-star athlete Robbie Robinson, three-star safeties Traveon Redd and Jacqui Givens and three-star offensive linemen Zach Adams and Jesse Meyler.