Things have been quiet in the past week, but right now that is a good thing for the Mountaineers. There is only so much the staff can do at this point to reel in new recruits with the majority of their focus needing to be on the remaining Big 12 games. Not to mention the class is getting full to the point of bursting. The decommitment of Larry Jefferson and flip to Iowa State earlier this week highlights the biggest danger for this class but if the team continues putting together a decent season then most of the recruits will buy into the program moving in the right direction and the class should hold together. And as much as any loss hurts, I see Larry Jefferson falling more in the Sheldrick Redwine category of decommitments. We do nee more d-line commits, but his talent is not irreplaceable and the staff still has a good chance of flipping him back as well. Regardless of the outcome of Larry's recruitment, the focus for the last couple scholarships will likely be getting some more beef along the offensive and defensive lines. Jamie Herr, previously of the Class of 2014, is a great candidate to end up in this class and would be a great addition to the incoming O-line recruits. Not only does he have great size, he plays with a mean streak that you just have to love. As for the defensive line, there are a couple interesting prospects in the mix, but look for the coaching staff to try and bring in at least one JUCO or maybe a graduate transfer, to get a little more game-ready experience in the trenches.
There should be a few interesting visits in the coming weeks, with some big names in town this weekend against Baylor. Tim Settle will be in town again for an official and hopefully West Virginia can make an impression. Right now I have a sinking suspicion that he will end up with the Hokies but there is still a chance that the Mountaineers can become a real contender. Settle is attracted to the early playing time but it's not enough to make WVU a forerunner by any means. Also being that he is from Virginia, he has some friends, both for basketball and football, that are already pledged to the Hokies and that never makes things easier.
Reuben Jones, the 6'4" 225 lbs. DE from Florida, also announced he would be coming up for a visit during the Baylor game and he is a big fan of defensive line coach Tom Bradley. It will be interesting to see if a good visit could land a commitment from him. Securing Jones would help to replace Larry Jefferson as they are very similar in size and stature, but the age difference would be apparent. Reuben is a senior in high school and would likely need at least a year to develop before he would be expected to contribute, unlike Jefferson who could at least help provide more immediate depth.
Larry Jefferson and his teammate, DE Xavier Pegues, are definitely still targets and if the staff gets them on campus it could potentially cause a flip back to WVU, at least for Jefferson. Jordan Cronkite and Tim Irvin are also visits creeping in on the horizon to keep an eye out for. If either of those visits goes extremely well it could end up being a coup for the Mountaineers. As the year comes to a close a few more names will likely pop up onto the board, the staff seems to have a penchant for surprising JUCOs and transfers. A lot of that though will depend on who makes the grades or transfers the credits, but hopefully the Mountaineers will benefit. There will also be a few 2016 and 2017 recruits at the game as well roaming around to keep an eye out for, though I fully expect every eye to be fixed on the field this weekend. A win for WVU on Saturday would immediately throw the Mountaineers into conference contender talks, not to mention it would give a huge recruiting boost to West Virginia. On-the-field success is not always necessary for great recruiting, but it really never hurts.