MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – National signing day has a different feel now that it has been split into two parts.
An event that was once treated like a holiday now falls in the shadow of an actual holiday – not to mention bowl preparations and the occasional coaching change. The December signing day represents a beginning of the cycle rather than a definitive ending.
West Virginia is expected to fill 15 of its 23 available scholarships on Wednesday, though there is more than enough room to take in some additional prospects should they decide to become Mountaineers now rather than waiting for February.
Here’s a look at the players who have already made a verbal commitment to West Virginia, as well as a handful of potential signees.
WVU Class of 2019 commits
Tykee Smith
Safety — 5-11, 190
Philadelphia, Pa. (Imhotep Charter)
Rivals rating: 4 stars
The skinny: The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Smith was named the No. 3 prospect in Pennsylvania by Penn Live – no small feat in what remains one of the best states for prep talent. Smith also had offers from fellow Big 12 programs Baylor and Kansas.
Dreshun Miller
Cornerback — 6-2, 175
Marietta, Ga. (Eastern Arizona JC)
Rivals rating: 4 stars
The skinny: Miller was previously committed to LSU, but flipped to the Mountaineers in December once the Tigers realized they wouldn’t have their usually spate of early departures to the NFL Draft.
Osita Smith
Safety — 6-2, 205
Columbia, Md. (Wilde Lake)
Rivals rating: 3 stars
The skinny: Smith also had offers from Cincinnati and Temple, but only chose to visit West Virginia. It may only be a matter of time before the WVU secondary is patrolled by the combination of Smith and Smith.
Winston Wright
Wide receiver — 5-11, 154
Savannah, Ga. (Memorial Day)
Rivals rating: 3 stars
The skinny: Wright committed to WVU last summer. He also has offers from Boston College, Temple, Appalachian State, Duke and Illinois.
Parker Moorer
Offensive tackle — 6-5, 294
Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek)
Rivals rating: 3 stars
The skinny: Moorer originally committed to Maryland in the spring, but became the first player to decommit from the program following the training death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. He ultimately chose West Virginia over Virginia.
Donavan Beaver
Offensive guard — 6-7, 295
Spotsylvania, Va. (Massaponax)
Rivals rating: 3 stars
The skinny: Oregon State apparently did not offer Beaver the chance to play for the name on both sides of his jersey, but plenty of schools showed interest. Florida, North Carolina, Louisville and Virginia Tech were all among those who recruited Beaver.
Taijh Alston
Defensive end — 6-5, 233
Cameron, N.C. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
Rivals rating: 3 stars
The skinny: Alston went the juco route this season after originally attending East Carolina as a freshman. Injuries kept Alston from the field in his lone season as a Pirate.
Tony Mathis
Running back — 5-11, 195
Cedartown, Ga. (Cedartown)
Rivals rating: 3 stars
The skinny: West Virginia benefitted from being the first Power 5 program to offer Mathis a scholarship before others jumped in. Louisville also pushed hard for the running back.
Terence Doston
Wide receiver — 5-10, 160
Tampa, Fla. (Hillsborough)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: Doston committed to the Mountaineers little over a week before signing day. He had offers from the other Mountaineers – Appalachian State – as well as UCF, Minnesota, North Carolina and Maryland. The two-sport star also intends to play baseball at WVU.
Kerry Martin
Safety — 6-2, 188
Charleston, W.Va. (Capital)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: The No. 5-rated recruit in West Virginia is expected to be the lone in-state signee in this year’s class. Martin was also offered by Rutgers and Western Kentucky.
Jalen Thornton
Defensive end — 6-3, 245
Cincinnati, OH (Indian Hill)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: A couple years down the road, it’s possible that West Virginia’s entire starting defensive front will consist of players whose dads used to play for the Mountaineers. Thornton is the son of former WVU defensive lineman John Thornton, who played from 1995-98. Darius and Dante Sills, sons of former Mountaineer Gary Stills, are already in place on the defensive line.
Nicktroy Fortune
Cornerback — 5-11, 176
Lawrenceville, Ga. (Central Gwinnett)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: Topography played a role in West Virginia’s good fortune to land Fortune. The Georgia native was so impressed by the mountains when he took his unofficial visit this summer that he wanted to become a Mountaineer. Fortune picked WVU over Virginia and Georgia Tech.
Brandon Yates
Offensive tackle — 6-5, 270
Las Vegas, Nev. (Liberty)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: Yates is a late riser who moved from 2 stars to 3 this season. Initially recruited by the likes of Delaware State, he paid an official visit to USC on Dec. 8 before spending the final weekend before signing day in Morgantown. Yates grew up in Delaware before moving out to Nevada in 2017.
Jared Bartlett
Linebacker — 6-2, 210
Suwanee, Ga. (Collins Hill)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: Another recruit from Georgia that was drawn to cornerbacks coach Doug Belk, a Peach State native. Bartlett, who committed in August, projects as an outside linebacker. He also had offers from Appalachian State and Minnesota.
Kolton McGhee
Kicker — 6-0, 170
Altoona, Pa. (Bishop Guilfoyle)
Rivals: 2 stars
The skinny: Here’s the kicker, who also punted in high school. Recruitment of specialists is the most inexact part of the inexact science of recruiting. Per the composite rankings of all recruiting sites compiled by 247 Sports, McGhee is the third-best kicker in the Class of 2019. Despite that, other than WVU, his only two other major offers came from Rutgers and Army.
Possible signing day additions
The following four recruits visited West Virginia this weekend. Should they all choose the Mountaineers, the vast majority of Dana Holgorsen’s heavy lifting will be done before the Februrary signing period.
Ali Jennings
Wide receiver — 6-2, 186
Highland Springs, Va. (Highland Springs)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: WVU stepped up its recruitment of Jennings with former commit Isaiah Hazel going to Maryland. Jennings has offers from Georgia Tech, Temple and Illinois but made his final official visit to West Virginia. Loyalty may pay off – WVU was the first Power 5 program to give Jennings an offer.
Tavian Mayo
Cornerback — 5-11, 172
Leesburg, Ga. (Lee County)
Rivals: 3 stars
The skinny: West Virginia will try to hold Mayo from heading to Nebraska. The corner visited the Cornhuskers in October, but gave Morgantown his final look before signing day. Duke, Georgia Tech and Iowa State were all after Mayo, who would add to the roster’s increasingly Georgian vibe.
Isheem Young
Safety — 5-10, 204
Philadelphia, Pa. (Imhotep Charter)
Rivals: 4 stars
The skinny: On-field talent isn’t the question with Young. He was a Penn State Class of 2018 commit until his arrest for an armed robbery of a Philadelphia convenience store last December. Young was a juvenile at the time of the incident – July 2017 – and committed to serve time at a juvenile facility as part of a plea arrangement. After a year away from football, he’ll undoubtedly be eager to get his career restarted.
Nate Craig-Myers
Wide receiver — 6-2, 205
Tampa, Fla. (Auburn)
Rivals: 4 stars
The skinny: Craig-Myers has two seasons of eligibility remaining thanks to the NCAA’s new redshirt rule. He decided to transfer from Auburn early this season. As a junior in high school he was the nation’s top-rated receiver, though he fell to sixth in the final rankings. He had 16 catches for 285 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore, but was targeted only five times in Auburn’s first three games this year before deciding to move on.