MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Three-star junior college offensive tackle Kelby Wickline, the son of West Virginia offensive coordinator Joe Wickline, flipped his commitment from North Carolina to the Mountaineers on Tuesday afternoon.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder from Jones (Miss.) Junior College pledged to the Tar Heels last month over offers from Oklahoma State, Arkansas, TCU, Kentucky, Missouri and Arizona State.
West Virginia extended an offer to Wickline in September, at which juncture the job security of head coach Dana Holgorsen and his staff were uncertain. Now that Holgorsen’s five-year extension signifies stability, the younger Wickline plans to join his father in Morgantown and should compete for a spot at tackle or guard in 2017.
He tweeted Tuesday:
Almost Heaven, West Virginia. My new home. pic.twitter.com/oGD0Zp92FQ
— Kelby Wickline (@Kel_Wic10) December 13, 2016
Kelby Wickline redshirted one year at UT-San Antonio before briefly enrolling at WVU last spring. He soon departed for the junior college ranks and developed into a Power 5 prospect this fall. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining at his new school and plans to become a midterm enrollee in January.
West Virginia’s only other offensive line commitment currently is two-star tackle prospect Tyler Thurmond of Buford, Ga.
Rivals currently ranks the Mountaineers’ 2017 recruiting class 52nd nationally.