MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Neal Brown’s first signing day at West Virginia was a case of addition by avoiding subtraction.
On paper, nothing jumps out as extraordinary about the class, which Rivals ranks 46th nationally and seventh in the Big 12. But Brown’s primary duty when taking over for Dana Holgorsen in January was keeping the 16 players Holgorsen signed in December on board.
“We went about re-recruiting guys — either myself or someone on staff visiting each of those student-athletes,” Brown said. “They felt comfortable with West Virginia. They just needed some reassurance.”
Brown kept an open mind about the re-recruitment process. If any player was uncomfortable with the coaching change, he was not going to hold them to the letter of intent they signed in December. Likewise, he didn’t pore over video of his inherited class in hopes of discarding players that did not fit his style of play.
They had already committed themselves to West Virginia, and Brown put the onus on himself to keep them so.
“It wasn’t about assessing. All these guys had already made their decisions,” Brown said. “All these guys had already flipped that page into college. Their whole world just got shook up. A coaching change happened and they didn’t ask for it.
“It wasn’t about us making a decision. They all fit athletically with what we want to do. It was about making sure they felt comfortable with situation here. We weren’t going to hold anyone hostage.”
It didn’t hurt that Brown was already familiar with the players in the class who are from Georgia and Florida. In particularly, running back Tony Mathis was a pipe dream of Brown’s when he was coaching at Troy.
“Most of the time players go to coaches, but this coach had to go to the player,” Brown said. “At Troy, Tony was like our No. 1 guy at running back forever. He had a whole lot of offers, so we didn’t have success getting him to Troy. But I loved the way he ran. We had a relationship and we knew his game.”
After securing the December class, Brown moved on to what he describes as filling immediate needs. Foremost was getting a third quarterback on the roster, which he did in the form of Oklahoma graduate transfer Austin Kendall.
“We needed a guy who could compete immediately with only two guys in the room and Trey Lowe playing baseball this spring,” Brown said.
The Mountaineers also added three additional recruits on signing day — safety Rashean Lynn, defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson and cornerback Tavian Mayo.
Brown alluded to the fact the Mountaineers also made a run at five-star Huntington offensive tackle Darnell Wright, who chose Tennessee.
“It was a valiant effort,” Brown said of recruiting Wright without mentioning him by name.
That leaves three spots available for transfers or late signees. Brown said those spots probably could have been filled Wednesday, but he would rather make sure West Virginia seek out the right guys rather than rushing to fill a quota.
“A mistake a lot of people make in this situation is you can really reach for guys. We were careful,” Brown said. “We have three open spots. We’re better served waiting.”
West Virginia 2019 signing class
Austin Kendall (ENROLLED)
QB • 6-2, 212 • Waxhaw, N.C. • Rivals four-star
Graduate transfer from Oklahoma… Backed up Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray for the Sooners. Has two years of eligibility remaining … Other high school offers included Auburn, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Dreshun Miller (ENROLLED)
CB • 6-2, 175 • Marietta, Ga. • Rivals four-star
Junior college transfer from Eastern Arizona. Initially committed to LSU before returning players left Tigers without need for another defensive back. … Other offers included Auburn, Houston, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
Taijh Alston (ENROLLED)
DE • 6-5, 233 • Cameron, N.C. • Rivals three-star
Attended East Carolina as a freshman before transferring to Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) CC … Other offers included North Texas and Western Kentucky.
Kerry Martin (ENROLLED)
S • 6-2, 188 • Charleston, W.Va. • Rivals three-star
The lone West Virginia prospect in this year’s class, Martin graduated early and enrolled in December … Other offers included Army, Cincinnati and Marshall.
Tavian Mayo (SIGNED)
CB • 5-11, 180 • Leesburg, Ga. • Rivals three-star
Part of back-to-back state championship teams at Lee County High. Registered 31 tackles, nine pass breakups and two interceptions as a senior. Recorded seven interceptions and returned three for touchdowns as a junior… Other offers included Nebraska, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Maryland, Michigan, N.C. State, Pitt and South Florida.
Jordan Jefferson (SIGNED)
DT • 6-4, 300 • Navarre, Fla. • Rivals unrated
Finished his career at Navarre High playing in 27 games and finishing with 115 tackles, including 68 solo, 11 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two blocked field goals… Other offers included Louisville, Kansas State, Florida Atlantic and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Rashean Lynn (SIGNED)
WR/S • 6-5, 184 • Cocoa, Fla. • Rivals three-star
Lynn is one of three defensive players to commit to West Virginia in the late signing period. Recruited by many programs as a receiver, he was drawn by the chance to play defense for the Mountaineers. Has unusual length for a safety, bringing to mind former Seattle Seahawks Brandon Browner and Kam Chancellor … Other offers included Florida, Oregon, Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia, Purdue, Indiana and Cincinnati.
Ali Jennings (SIGNED)
WR • 6-2, 186 • Highland Springs, Va. • Rivals three-star
Helped his high school to a 15-0 record and a Virginia state title with 40 receptions for 874 yards and seven touchdowns. WVU was the first Power 5 school to offer Jennings … Other offers included Michigan State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Army, Navy and Air Force.
Tykee Smith (SIGNED)
S • 5-11, 190 • Philadelphia, Pa. • Rivals four-star
First team all-Philadelphia Public League selection who was named the No. 3 overall prospect in Pennsylvania by Penn Live … Other offers included Baylor, Boston College, Duke, Indiana and Kansas.
Osita Smith (SIGNED)
S • 6-2, 205 • Columbia, Md. • Rivals three-star
West Virginia was Smith’s only official visit. An attacking downhill safety who led his team in sacks and tackles for loss as a senior … Other offers included Cincinnati, Indiana, Marshall, Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers and Wake Forest.
Winston Wright (SIGNED)
WR • 5-11, 154 • Savannah, Ga. • Rivals three-star
Part of two state championship teams. A versatile option who might also help in the return game, Wright had 1,000 receiving yards and 700 rushing yards as a senior … Other offers included Boston College, Colorado State, Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Temple, Central Florida, South Florida and Wake Forest.
Parker Moorer (SIGNED)
OT • 6-5, 294 • Charlotte, N.C. • Rivals three-star
Moorer was committed to Maryland until the death of Terrapins offensive lineman Jordan McNair. Rated as the 23rd overall prospect in North Carolina this year by Rivals … Other offers included Maryland, Colorado State, Louisville, Marshall, Rutgers, Syracuse, Central Florida and Virginia.
Donavan Beaver (SIGNED)
OG • 6-7, 295 • Spotsylvania, Va. • Rivals three-star
Proven as a run-blocker in high school, he helped open holes for an offense that rushed for 4,400 yards and 54 touchdowns in 2018 … Other offers included Florida, Louisville, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Pitt, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Tony Mathis (SIGNED)
RB • 5-11, 195 • Cedartown, Ga. • Rivals three-star
Played at the same high school as current Browns running back Nick Chubb. Rated as the nation’s No. 53 running back by Rivals … Other offers included Iowa State, Louisville, Purdue and Wake Forest.
Terence Doston (SIGNED)
WR • 5-10, 160 • Tampa, Fla. • Rivals three-star
A two-sport star who will also join the West Virginia baseball program. … Other offers included Cincinnati, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Stanford and Central Florida.
Jalen Thornton (SIGNED)
DE • 6-3, 245 • Cincinnati, Ohio • Rivals three-star
Son of John Thornton, a two-time all-Big East defensive tackle for West Virginia who went on to play in the NFL from 1999-2008… Other offers included Cincinnati, Iowa State and Kentucky.
Nicktroy Fortune (SIGNED)
CB • 5-11, 182 • Lawrenceville, Ga. • Rivals three-star
Fortune famously committed after being awestruck by West Virginia’s mountains. Was named the No. 76 overall prospect in talent-rich Georgia by Rivals … Other offers included Virginia, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
Brandon Yates (SIGNED)
OT • 6-5, 270 • Las Vegas, Nev. • Rivals three-star
Yates is a Delaware native who moved to Las Vegas in high school. A consensus Top-10 prospect in Nevada, he turned down late interest from USC … Other offers included Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado State, USC, Utah and Washington State.
Jared Bartlett (SIGNED)
LB • 6-2, 210 • Suwanee, Ga. • Rivals three-star
Though he wasn’t recruited by new defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, Bartlett’s game looks like it will fit well in Koenning’s scheme. A solid outside rusher, Bartlett had 15 TFL, 11 QB hurries and 5 sacks as a senior … Other offers included Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse and Wake Forest
Kolton McGhee (SIGNED)
K • 6-0, 170 • Altoona, Pa. • Rivals three-star
A two-time all-state selection in Pennsylvania who also averaged 46.2 yards per punt as a senior … Other offers included Army and Rutgers