MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia landed a commitment Wednesday night from Rivals four-star recruit T.J. Banks, a 6-foot-6 prospect who could play tight end or defensive end in college.
Out of East Allegheny High in North Versailles, Pa., Banks holds offers from Pitt, Maryland, Illinois, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Rutgers.
His commitment lifted West Virginia’s class six spots to No. 25 in the 2018 national rankings.
The Mountaineers have two other high school tight ends committed for this cycle, along with Miami transfer Jovani Haskins, who’s currently sitting out before becoming eligible next season.
“Banks isn’t just a big-bodied tight end — he also has the athleticism to actually line up at wide receiver for his high school team,” said Rivals writer Keenan Cummings.
“We’re working under the assumption that Banks will begin his career on the offensive side when he arrives at West Virginia. On the defensive side, however, Banks is quick off the ball, has great flexibility, shows good change of direction and pursues the ball from sideline to sideline.”
Several programs prefer Banks as a defensive lineman, though he wants to give offense a try first. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in August that Pitt coaches had stopped recruiting him because they didn’t have a spot for another tight end in this class.
The Mountaineers are back to 18 commitments in this class after Houston receiver Ralph Davis recently re-opened his recruitment, according to a Rivals report on WVSports.com.
West Virginia’s commitments for 2018:
| Dante Stills (Fairmont, W.Va..) | 6-4, 265 | DL | 4 stars |
| Leddie Brown (Smyrna, Del.) | 6-1, 190 | RB | 4 stars |
| T.J. Banks (North Versailles, Pa.) | 6-6, 240 | TE/DE | 4 stars |
| Joshua Norwood (Senatobia, Miss) | 5-11, 185 | DB | 3 stars |
| Charlie Benton (El Dorado, Kan.) | 6-3, 215 | LB | 3 stars |
| Randy Fields (Baltimore, Md.) | 6-3, 190 | WR | 3 stars |
| Trey Lowe (Bolivar, Tenn.) | 6-3, 175 | QB | 3 stars |
| Briason Mays (Bolivar, Tenn.) | 6-4, 290 | OG | 3 stars |
| James Gmiter (Bethel Park, Pa.) | 6-4, 300 | DT | 3 stars |
| Sam James (Richmond, Hill, Ga.) | 6-1, 160 | WR | 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 |
| Jayce Rogers (Valdosta, Ga.) | 5-8, 160 | CB | 3 stars |
| Oyenmwen Uzebu (Alpharetta, Ga.) | 6-6, 300 | OT | 3 stars |
| Bryce Wheaton (Holly Springs, N.C.) | 6-3, 200 | ATH | 3 stars |
| Alex Williams (Pickerington, Ohio) | 6-3, 200 | OL | 3 stars |