Commitment tracker: Keeping up with the new recruits

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Check out the bios for West Virginia’s 2016 recruiting class. Each player’s status will be updated as national letters of intent are submitted Wednesday:

Jacquez Adams • ATH • Reisterstown, Md. (Milford Prep)
✓ ENROLLED: The twin brother of Jordan, who redshirted at WVU last season, Adams spent a semester at prep school shoring up his academic qualifications. Now he may be counted upon to shore up the cornerback position decimated by the departures of Daryl Worley, Terrell Chestnut and Rick Rumph. Adams quarterbacked a Maryland state-championship team at Franklin High in 2014—completing 108-of-175 passes for 1,539 yards and 16 touchdowns, rushing for 916 yards and 12 scores—and played receiver at Milford during the fall.

Toyous Avery • DB • Coffeyville, Kan. (Coffeyville CC)
✓ SIGNED: Rated a two-star prospect by Rivals, the 6-foot, 200-pound Avery made five interceptions and 69 tackles this season as a junior college redshirt freshman. He holds offers from Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas State, Southern Miss and South Alabama, and has three years of eligibility remaining. Coming out of Newton, Ga., in 2014, Avery was lightly recruited after a shoulder injury cut short his senior high school season. The Mountaineers staff envisions Avery at strong safety, where Karl Joseph has graduated and  Jarrod Harper is entering his senior season.

Elijah Battle • CB • Dodge City, Kan. (Dodge City CC)
✓ SIGNED: The two-star cornerback flipped from WVU to Minnesota in December, but failed to graduate in time to enroll in January and re-opened his recruitment. He held offers from Arizona, Houston, Minnesota, Southern Miss, Arkansas State and Ohio while Rutgers, Iowa State, Nebraska and Ohio State showed interest. As a sophomore he made 50 total tackles, one interception and 11 pass breakups.

Chase Behrndt • OL • Ballwin, Mo. (Lafayette)
✓ SIGNED: The 6-foot-4, 295-pound guard is ranked a three-star prospect by Rivals. (Scout lists him as the 46th-best guard prospect in the nation and 247 Sports ranks him 54th at his position.) Also one of Missouri’s top wrestlers, Behrndt holds offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Indiana, Kansas and several mid-majors. He said several schools projected him as a college center and he could compete at that spot in 2017 after the departure of Tyler Orlosky.

Jacob Buccigrossi • OL • Pittsburgh (North Hills)
✓ ENROLLED: The 6-4, 280 Buccigrossi is recovering from last fall’s shoulder/labrum surgery that limited him to one game. West Virginia figures to open next season with sophomore Yodney Cajuste and junior Marcell Lazard starting at the tackles, yet depth at those spots has been lacking the past two seasons. Buccigrossi is a three-star recruit according to Scout, 247sports and ESPN, who chose WVU over offers from Arizona, Northwestern and Virginia.

Justin Crawford • RB • (Northwest Miss. JC)
✓ SIGNED: Crawford ran for 3,161 yards and 30 touchdowns over two seasons at Northwest, making 268 carries for 1,610 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore. He added 29 receptions for 394 yards and six touchdowns. He committed to Louisville out of Hardaway High in Columbus, Ga., where he was too old to play as a senior in 2014. After coach Charlie Strong left Louisville for Texas, Crawford decommitted and enrolled in junior college. He chose WVU over Missouri, South Carolina and Ole Miss.

Mike Daniels• DB • (New York Globe Tech JC)
✓ SIGNED: The two-star player who committed Tuesday, was a second-team junior college All-American last season after making seven interceptions. The 6-foot, 200-pound Daniels, a Rival three-star prospect, holds offers from Arizona, Purdue, Kansas, New Mexico and Arkansas State.

Reese Donahue • DE • Ona, W.Va. (Cabell Midland)
✓ ENROLLED: The Mountaineers lost senior reserves Eric Kinsey and Isaiah Bruce but return three other defensive ends with playing experience. Plus there’s redshirted 2015 juco signee Xavier Pegues waiting in the wings, so Donahue shouldn’t be rushed into action. Donahue (6-5, 245) was a two-time All-State Class AAA selection and the USA Today defensive player of the year in West Virginia.A three-star recruit according to Rivals, Scout, 247sports and ESPN, Donahue held offers from Cornell and Purdue.

Brendan Ferns • LB • St. Clairsville, Ohio (St. Clairsville)
✓ SIGNED: The four-star Ferns (6-2, 222) chose West Virginia over Penn State via Twitter on Wednesday morning. He joins older brother Michael in Morgantown and could vie for playing time immediately next season. Rivals ranked Ferns the No. 16 outside linebacker in the nation and the No. 232 overall prospect. A 1,000-yard rusher a a senior, Ferns was a two-way standout whose offers included Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, USC and Stanford.

Adam Hensley • LB • Dayton, Ohio (Centerville)
✓ SIGNED: The three-star Hensley (6-3, 210) chose WVU over offers from Illinois, Air Force, UConn and several MAC programs. Rivals ranks him the No. 47 linebacker nationally and 34th-best prospect in talent-rich Ohio. He’s projected to play one of the outside linebacker spots in the 3-3-5.

Jacob Long • DB • Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton)
✓ SIGNED: The three-star Long (6-0, 186) led his high school team to the state playoffs playing defensive back and running back. Rivals rates him the No. 65 cornerback in the 2016 class. He chose West Virginia over offers from Purdue, Virginia, Ball State.

Sean Mahone • DB • West Chester, Ohio (Lakota West)
✓ SIGNED: He special mention all-state as a senior after making 43 tackles and two interceptions. He appeared in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. Mahone committed over offers from Purdue, Virginia, Northwestern, Kentucky and Marshall.

Kennedy McKoy • RB • Lexington, N.C. (Davidson High)
✓ ENROLLED: After Wendell Smallwood’s early jump to the NFL, McKoy (6-2, 194) could be in the mix for early playing time. He ran for 1,871 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior after setting school record with 2,061 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2014. … The three-star recruit also caught 43 passes for 683 yards and seven touchdowns and held offers from Boston College, Louisville, N.C. State, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wake Forest.

Martell Pettaway• RB • Detroit (Detroit MLK)
✓ SIGNED: Pettaway ran for 1,631 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading Detroit King to the Michigan state championship. As a junior year at St. Clair Shores South Lake he piled up 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns. Thoug Michigan State offered him first, Petteway (5-9, 200) said he never was a fan of the Spartans and hopes to contribute early at WVU. He also had offers from Iowa, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Illinois and mid-majors.

Jeffery Pooler • DT • Dayton, Ohio (Dunbar)
✓ ENROLLED: Following the graduation of Kyle Rose, the nose guard position becomes the domain of senior Darrien Howard and sophomore Jaleel Fields. The sizable Pooler (6-4, 290) could open spring ball as the third option in the middle. A two-star Rivals recruit and an ESPN three-star, Pooler produced 82 tackles, eight sacks and five forced fumbles his senior season and chose WVU over offers from Louisville, Maryland and Tennessee.

Zach Sandwisch • LB • Toledo, Ohio (Central Catholic)
✓ SIGNED: The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder led his team to Ohio Division III state final and made more than 120 tackles. A three-star player, Sandwisch was named All-Ohio and rated by Rivals as the 25th-best inside linebacker and the state’s No. 28 prospect overall. He was also recruited by Iowa, Indiana and Illinois.

Cody Saunders • QB • Panama City, Fla. (Arnold)
✓ ENROLLED: With Skyler Howard backed up at quarterback by redshirt freshman Chris Chugunov and sophomore William Crest, the dual-threat newcomer Saunders enters spring practice in learning mode. That early exposure could make him a candidate come 2017. He connected on 165-of-259 passes for 2,005 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2015 while running for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns. ESPN ranked Saunders a four-star recruit, while he received three stars from Scout and 247sports and only two from Rivals. He chose WVU over South Florida.

Josh Sills • OL • Byesville, Ohio (Meadowbrook)
✓ SIGNED: Check out the bios for West Virginia’s 2016 recruiting class. Each player’s status will be updated as natioal letters of intent are submitted Wednesday:Sills (6-6, 312) is a three-star prospect who Rivals rates as the nation’s 35th-best guard and the No. 32 player coming out of Ohio. He had offers from Cincinnati and Michigan and several MAC programs.

Marcus Simms • WR • Sandy Spring, Md. (Sherwood)
✓ ENROLLED: Simms (6-2, 180) caught 43 passes for 1,020 yards and 20 touchdowns last season after making 36 receptions for 712 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014. A four-star recruit by ESPN and a three-star by Rivals, Scout and 247sports, Simms was pursued by Boston College, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers and Wake Forest.

Craig Smith • OL • Tyler, Texas (Tyler Junior College)
✓ SIGNED: The 6-7, 330-pound Smith flipped his commitment from South Florida early Sunday while visiting Morgantown. He topped 380 pounds as a high school player at Royal Palm Beach, Fla., where he signed with Florida A&M in 2013 before failing to qualify. He emerged during a productive sophomore season at Tyler (Texas) Junior College, drawing offers from Louisiana Tech, UCF, UAB, Louisiana-Lafayette and Akron.

Steven Smothers • ATH • Reisterstown, Md. (Franklin)
✓ SIGNED: Among his 25 scholarship offers were traditional powers like Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan and Florida. A Rivals three-star recruit, Smothers projects as a slot receiver in college and has drawn Tavon Austin comparisons from numerous high school coaches and recruiting analysts. He was a longtime target of the WVU staff, dating back more than three years. He totaled 556 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns —averaging 17.4 yards per catch—as a senior and was a two-time Maryland Big School all-state selection.

JoVanni Stewart • DB • Katy, Texas (Katy)
✓ SIGNED: From the same high school powerhouse program that produced Jordan Thompson, Stewart was a reliable playmaker in run support despite being only 5-10, 190 pounds. Recruiting analysts like his productivity and said a lack of size hurt his ranking. He holds offers from Air Force, Bowling Green, Army, New Mexico State, UT-San Antonio and UTEP, with Purdue and Utah having shown interest. Stewart is one of five FBS commitment off a dominant defense that led Katy to the Texas 6A Division II large-class state championship.

Logan Thimons • LB • Sarver, Pa. (Freeport Area)
✓ ENROLLED: With four senior linebackers departing, West Virginia faces an all-hands-on-deck situation in 2016. Aggressive, smart and productive, Thimons (6-1, 220) could be in line for playing time behind presume Mike starter Al-Rasheed Benton. A three-star recruit and USA Today All-Pennsylvania first-teamer, Thimons made 401 career tackles, including 161 with 15.5 sacks last season.

Dylan Tonkery • LB • Bridgeport, W.Va. (Bridgeport)
✓ ENROLLED: The younger brother of former West Virginia linebacker Wes Tonkery showed plenty of ability as a two-way standout on three state-title teams at Bridgeport. He’ll get a look at the Spur safety and could be primed for a shot at strong safety in 2017 after Jarrod Harper graduates. The two-time West Virginia All-State Class AA selection, Tonkery made 72 tackles in his high school career—a number tempered by Bridgeport winning so many blowouts—and ran for 40 touchdowns while posting back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons.He was a three-star recruit according to Scout and a Rivals two-star prospect.

Trevon Wesco • TE • Scranton, Pa. (Lackawanna College)
✓ SIGNED: A standout receiver/quarterback at Musselman High School, Wesco (6-5, 260) played sparingly as a freshman at Lackawanna and missed last season with a knee injury. That’s actually a blessing for WVU, which will have Wesco for three years of playing eligibility. He’s rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.

Kyzir White • DB • Scranton, Pa. (Lackawanna College)
✓SIGNED: Don’t be surprised if the four-star White steps in at Spur safety next season to replace K.J. Dillon. At 6-3, 210 pounds he appears more game-ready than older brothers Kevin and Ka’Raun were when they enrolled at WVU as receivers. He was being pursued by USC as signing day neared and holds offers from Penn State, Pitt, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Louisville.

Jonn Young • K • Mocksville, N.C. (Davie County)
✓ SIGNED: He kicked a 50-yarder as a high school freshman and claims to hit from 60-plus in practice. The two-star young will likely redshirt with former Groza Award finalist Josh Lambert returning for his senior year. In Young’s high school career, he hit 10-of-13 field-goal attempts and 64-of-73 extra points. He also was the top punter at prestigious kicking camps and showed a strong leg on kickoffs.