MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Class of 2021 is shaping up to be a strong one for West Virginia natives. Spring Valley’s Wyatt Milum collected nearly twenty ‘Power 5’ offers before verbally committing to WVU. Bluefield’s Isaiah Johnson is one of the most heavily recruited cornerbacks in the country.
South Charleston’s Zeiqui Lawton continues to add to his impressive list of offers this spring. The six foot three, 235 pound defensive end has received scholarship offers from thirteen Division I schools over the last two years. ESPN lists Lawton as a four-star recruit and the No. 3 player in the Class of 2021.
“It is a blessing,” Lawton said of the recruiting process. “Sometimes it can be stressful though, definitely during a time like this. But it is definitely a blessing for sure.”
While in-person visits to campuses are on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawton has been keeping in touch with coaches virtually.
“A lot of them do Zoom virtual tours. They’ll have coaching staff meetings and talk with me. The staff will tell me how I may fit. They’re basically trying to build relationships with me.”
South Charleston head coach Donnie Mays saw great potential in Lawton ever since he racked up eighty tackles in his freshman season.
“As soon as I saw him, I knew he could play,” Mays said. “He has the body type and he passes the eyeball test. But once you watch him perform, there were some things he needed to work on going from his freshman to sophomore to junior years. He is a very mature kid. So when you told him something, he would put his nose to the grindstone.”
Lawton’s first Division I offer came from Eastern Kentucky in June of 2018, heading into his sophomore season.
“Once I got my first offer at a satellite camp, there were a ton of kids and a ton of coaches there,” Lawton said. That’s when I got my first offer from EKU.”
A week later, offers from Marshall and West Virginia followed.
“It was exciting because I camped at both of those places. As I camped, they both offered me on-site,” Lawton said.
Ten more offers have followed including Illinois, Louisville, Liberty, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida Atlantic and Appalachian State. Toledo was added to the list earlier this week. West coast powers Oregon and Boise State have offered as well. UCLA, USC and Arizona have expressed interest. Mays says recruitment of a pair of recent Division I products has put South Charleston on the map nationally.
“We had Derrek Pitts and we had Aaron Dobson. So a lot of people were familiar with those kids. Over time, they keep us in contact,” Mays said.
“The head coaches around the (Kanawha) Valley, like Brad Dingess (Spring Valley) and Billy Seals (Huntington), we always try to reach out to each other and help each other out, making sure each coach has a contact for schools that swing through each area.”
Lawton racked up 82 tackles (26 for loss) in 9 games as a junior with a dozen sacks. He has lined up on the defensive line and also at linebacker. Lawton believes that versatility will serve him well at the next level.
“As a pass rusher and a run stopper, I feel like I do both of those things well. But I need to keep improving on those,” Lawton said.
“Most guys see me as a hybrid, like a Khalil Mack type of guy, a defensive end-slash-linebacker, a stand up guy.”
“He is probably more of a standup linebacker in a 3-4 defense. But he could transition down to putting his hand in the dirt. He has done both for us and we have put it on film for his highlights over the years. A lot of coaches have said they enjoy watching him from a three-point stance and a two-point stance because it shows his versatility,” Mays said.
Zeiqui’s recruitment could also open some doors for his younger brother Mari. Mari just completed his freshman season with the Black Eagles.
“Last year (Mari) was probably six foot one, two hundred pounds. He is six foot three, 235 pounds now. He has been working in the weight room. He should be starting on the opposite side of me. A lot of coaches that have been recruiting me, they have been talking to him also,” Lawton said.
“(Mari) came in and played a lot in Zeiqui’s spot when he was hurt. But when you are playing behind a Division I talent, it is kind of hard to be seen. We have to be smart as coaches and figure out a way to get them both on the field this year. We will know a lot more about Mari after his sophomore season,” Mays said.
Looking ahead to the 2020 season
South Charleston returned to the Class AAA playoffs in 2019 after a one-year absence from postseason play. The Black Eagles will return sophomore quarterback Trey Dunn, leading rusher Mondrell Dean and most of their starters on both sides of the ball.
“We should be a pretty good team this year but we have to come out and work,” Lawton said. “We lost a couple guys but we have a lot of guys back also. We should at least be a playoff team.”
“We pretty much have nine or ten starters back on defense and the same can be said for the offense,” Mays said. “This has been a good time coming.”