MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As college football’s early signing period approaches on Dec. 19, West Virginia needs to make a push to beef up its 2019 recruiting class.
The Mountaineers have 16 players verbally committed for next year. Based on 247Sports’ current composite ratings, West Virginia is on pace to rank seventh in the Big 12 and 44th nationally with that class. But this week the Mountaineers are making a move for an LSU defensive back commit who could give this class a dramatic boost.
West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson went to Arizona on Monday to visit to 6-foot-2, 175-pound defensive back Dreshun Miller, who is about to complete his sophomore season at Eastern Arizona College. The Gila Monsters are playing for the junior college national championship this weekend, and Miller is expected to take an official visit to Morgantown the following week.
Rivals ranks Miller as the No. 7 overall juco player in this year’s class and the No. 2 cornerback, though LSU was looking at him primarily as a safety. Miller has been committed to LSU since June, but it’s becoming unlikely that he will sign with the Tigers.
Sources familiar with LSU’s recruiting process told MetroNews the Tigers targeted Miller when the expectation was that third-year cornerback Kristian Fulton would leave early for the NFL Draft. With Fulton now expected to return after suffering a late-season injury and other previously inexperienced players proving their worth at both corner and safety, that program has less need for plugging in a junior college player right away.
The Mountaineers could end up being the beneficiaries from that situation, though they’ll have to fend off another SEC program in Texas A&M. According to 247Sports, Miller paid a visit to College Station on Nov. 16.
If West Virginia can land Miller, it would give the Mountaineers three four-star commits in a class for the first time since 2016, when they had the fourth-ranked class in the Big 12. Receiver Isaiah Hazel and safety Osita Smith are the two four-star players currently committed to the Mountaineers.
Dana Holgorsen also had three four-star players in the 2015 class, but has never snagged a higher number in his eight-year tenure.
Miller attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga. before heading west for junior college. WVU cornerbacks coach Doug Belk, a Georgia native, has served as his primary recruiter.