MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Receiver Bryce Wheaton, a self-described third-generation Mountaineer, committed to West Virginia late Wednesday in a move that seemed predestined.
His grandfather, Garrett Ford Sr., starred at running back for WVU and eventually became the school’s first black assistant coach. His uncle Garrett Ford Jr. played for the Mountaineers from 1989-1992, and Wheaton spent a chunk of his childhood in Morgantown, where both of his parents earned degrees from WVU.
The 6-foot-3 Rivals three-star recruit holds offers from 12 FBS programs and recently trimmed his finalists to West Virginia, Louisville, Missouri and East Carolina.
Wheaton is preparing for his senior season at Holly Springs (N.C.) High, where he has 42 catches the past two years and also played in secondary. During the recently completed spring outdoor track season, he posted a 11.34 in the 100m meters.
The Mountaineers’ roster includes 10 scholarship receivers, seven of whom will exhaust their eligibility after the 2018 season.
Wheaton is the first high school receiver committed for this recruiting cycle, following Alabama’s sophomore T.J. Simmons’ announcement that he will transfer to WVU.
West Virginia’s commitments for 2018:
| Leddie Brown (Smyrna, Del.) | 6-1, 190 | RB | 4 stars |
| Bryce Wheaton (Holly Springs, N.C.) | 6-3, 197 | WR | 3 stars |
| James Gmiter (Bethel Park, Pa.) | 6-4, 300 | DT | 3 stars |
| Mike O’Laughlin (Oak Park, Ill.) | 6-5, 215 | TE | 3 stars |
| Tyrese Allen (Paintsville, Ky.) | 6-3, 290 | DT | 3 stars |
| Josh Chandler (Canton, Ohio) | 6-0, 220 | LB | 2 stars |
| TJ Ivy (Chicago) | 6-5, 217 | TE | 3 stars |
| Alex Williams (Pickerington, Ohio) | 6-7, 240 | OL | 3 stars |