MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Touting a recruiting class that spanned 15 states and fixated on junior college players to remedy deficiencies, Dana Holgorsen said National Signing Day brought a satisfying end to the most nerve-wrecking stint of the year.
“The hardest 48 hours as a coach is the Monday and Tuesday before Signing Day,” Holgorsen said Wednesday afternoon at the Milan Puskar Center, where West Virginia announced 25 signees. “You think you’ve got your numbers hit, but you don’t know if (recruits) are going to send (their letters of intent) back.”
“They call one last time and say it’s in, and it’s really good to put closure to it.”
Of course, the Mountaineers haven’t gotten complete closure on a class that Rivals ranked No. 24 nationally. WVU was still awaiting the signed LOIs from two three-star running backs — DeShawn Coleman of Hermitage, Pa., and Jacky Marcellus of Immokalee, Fla. Coleman committed to WVU last April, while Marcellus pledged in July.
Per NCAA rules, Holgorsen couldn’t publicly discuss their situations, saying only that “we’re still actively recruiting a couple of guys.”
As of 9 p.m., West Virginia also was awaiting the faxed signature of a third player, Florida defensive back Marquion Lane, who committed to WVU earlier in the day. Lane was among four pickups who announced for WVU on Signing Day, a strong finish to a class that will be counted upon pronto to help the program rebound from last season’s 7-6 finish.
Two juco teammates from Georgia Military College bolstered WVU’s late push — receiver Mario Alford and linebacker Brandon Golson decommitting from Arizona in favor of following assistant Tony Gibson on his move back to Morgantown.
“We know Tony Gibson’s a tremendous recruiter and he’s got tremendous ties, not only to the Pennsylvania area but also across the country,” Holgorsen said.
WVU signed nine junior college players overall, including Kevin White and Ronald Carswell, who are expected to fortify a receiving unit that lost three starters. Emphasizing the need to add pass-rushers on a defense that was among the worst in the FBS last season, WVU signed defensive end Dontrill Hyman and outside linebacker d’Vante Henry.
“Those are guys you don’t sign for the future — those are guys that you sign for right now,” Holgorsen said. “We needed to go out and find some guys who could make some immediate impact. Time will tell if we made the right decision or not.”
WAITING GAME
Neither Coleman nor Marcellus have publicly indicated their intentions of signing elsewhere. But reading between the lines on Holgorsen’s comments, WVU’s staff must have felt iffy about their odds of landing the running backs.
“This staff did a heck of a job identifying the guys who wanted to be here,” he said. “We put a list together last night of 18 people that we thought were going to sign, and all 18 of them signed. I can assure you the staff didn’t lose sight of the ones that didn’t (sign). People go to different schools for different reasons.”
Will WVU continue chasing the two longtime commitments?
“It depends on how things shake out,” Holgorsen said. “We still have a couple spots available.
“Whether we fill this with guys we’re currently recruiting or wait and see what shakes out after Signing Day … and we might want to bring a couple of transfer guys on board.”
Contributed photo
SELF-PROMOTION WORKS
The only other drama Wednesday involved the Mountaineers beating Vanderbilt for three-star safety Jeremy Tyler. The Lithonia, Ga., product actually initiated contact with WVU by submitting his game film last fall.
“He came to us, and when we put the film on we were amazed that a kid like this was still out there and wanted to be recruited,” said assistant Robert Gillespie, whose territory includes Georgia. “He played all over the field in high school, and he’s a guy who’s not afraid to play close to the line of scrimmage.”
Gold and Blue Now Friday, May 24 
Gold and Blue Now Thursday, May 23 
Sportsline: Randy Mazey and Kyle Wiggs 
Sportsline: Dana Holgerson 
Randy Mazey 5-20-2013 
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Comments
Pghmountaineer
I like the idea of going the JC route. We need immediate help on defense so hopefully some of the JC guys can fill the need.
February 6, 2013 at 5:48 pm | Report comment
David
Yeah, I agree, but that can be a two edged sword. A lot of times these jucos cannot qualify. However, they can be a homerun. See Bruce Irvin.
February 7, 2013 at 8:21 am | Report comment
ShinnstonGuy
I would call 18 of 21 a success. We didn't have any major defections, and even stole some guys from RichRod. Ha, ha!
February 6, 2013 at 5:59 pm | Report comment
BigSkinny
Any time you steal players from Rodriguez, it's an added bonus.
Overall, the class is great on paper and the JUCOS will be a tremendous help.
February 6, 2013 at 6:30 pm | Report comment
shawn
This year was a big success. I like the kids they went after and they should pay off for us this year. Good job coaching staff and hopefully everybody can now relax and get off of Holg's butt. It take a coach a couple years to get his recruits and i think he is on the right track.
February 6, 2013 at 7:19 pm | Report comment
cutty77
Glad we got a Kicker.Tyler cost us 4 games this year.The worest Kicker I believe we have ever had in WVU History.He couldn't kick off,Punt and Missed almost 50 percent of his Field Goals.Every Team we played it seem like they got the ball at the 50 yard line.
February 6, 2013 at 8:20 pm | Report comment
David
Two recruits from Florida. Wow times have changed.
February 6, 2013 at 7:21 pm | Report comment
David
More recruits from Florida than what coach mentioned.
February 7, 2013 at 12:25 am | Report comment
Mac
I'd like to see Coleman sign. I've seen him play and he stands out on the field. Not sure why he hasn't signed, but his other options are Pitt, Purdue and Youngstown State. I don't know, maybe he wants to stay home and go to YSU??
February 6, 2013 at 8:37 pm | Report comment
David
Ft. Myers News Press has video of Jacky Marcellus signing
http://www.news-press.com/interactive/article/20130206/sports01/130206005/national-signing-day-updates
February 7, 2013 at 12:24 am | Report comment
Dave
we consistently get the scraps...while BAMA gets the prime cuts....how can you be happy with only 2 and 3 star rated players...yet pay this guy more and more money?
February 7, 2013 at 8:58 am | Report comment
Chip in CLE
Dave - that's one of the least intelligent posts I've ever seen. Comparing our reruits to Alabama? really? I don't care who the coach is we're never going to compete with them or Ohio State type schools for 4 & 5 star recruits. But this is a good class that will give us a shot to compete on the field, where it counts.
February 7, 2013 at 9:43 am | Report comment
Terri
These players you call scraps have been pretty good to WVU. BAMA will get the best recruits because they are the national champs. The stars don't mean a thing, it is their determination to win and play hard that determines their worth. If we want a good coach, WVU will need to pay the coaches a good salary and be more competitive with the other colleges. Lets give these coaches and players a chance. Let's Go Mountaineers!!!
February 7, 2013 at 10:11 am | Report comment
Red Dwarf
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: The "star" rating is meaningless. It just indicates the number of camps a player has attended and therefore the exposure. If a kid cannot afford to go to a camp, he won't get the higher rating, regardless of his abilities. How many stars did Jason Gwaltney have??
February 7, 2013 at 1:21 pm | Report comment
Jeremy
Umm, 2 and 3 star recruits have been all stars on this team and have done great things. Granted, no championship yet buy do You really expect us to hang with Bama in recruiting?
February 7, 2013 at 9:56 am | Report comment
Protechcpa
For the most part, the stars do matter. Does anyone think Nick Saban wins based upon his coaching ability alone? I have never seen anything like Eddie Lacy before. However, for the Mountaineers, do not expect five stars to sign here. Wrong conference, wrong state, wrong city, wrong track record. WVU may have entered into the realm of a national following (barely), but we will NEVER garner the favor of the top level recruits. That is not the fault of the head coach. I am not a fan of Holgorsen, but he has enough to live up to fixing the mess he has made. The fact that WVU is and never will be part of college football blue blood is not his doing.
February 7, 2013 at 3:25 pm | Report comment
Maxxajay
Plant the seed early and get an early crop. This is a smart coach we have here at wvu he is getting his players and coaches of his own It takes time.
February 7, 2013 at 3:55 pm | Report comment
joeg
The stars don't matter. There are so many examples of 5 stars that don't have heart or the grades to qualify.... Remember, Pat White and Adam Jones were 2 stars. Would you be excited if Colin Kaepernick were in our recruiting class 6 years ago. Just for grins, I copied his Scout ratings below...
67 ** Colin Kaepernick (Pitman HS)
Turlock, CA 6-5/190/4.90 Verbal Yes Committed to Nevada. He had 2 stars and his only offer was from Nevada. It is better to see what sticks with a team the first year after a class is signed. These kids have a year of classes and have endured a year of the pressures imposed by their sports under their belts. Btw... has anyone else noticed that a recruits rating goes up when the announce for Alabama? Did that really make him any better than he was the day before? The rating services are good for letting the fans know where kids are going but their track record for predicting success at the next level is not that reliable.
February 10, 2013 at 8:53 am | Report comment
Helen5844
I hate this time of year. Always look forward to the first footballgame. The season goes by too fast. GOOOO MOUNTAINEERS.
February 11, 2013 at 2:29 pm | Report comment