West Virginia Football Recruiting Update (9/21/15)

There has not been much movement on the recruiting front despite the past week being a bye for the coaching staff. The month of October should bring a couple decisions that will be highly interesting to Mountaineers' fans, but with the class of 2016 so full already much of the staffs' attention will be soon switched to the class of 2017.

The unfortunate news of Tyree Owens' dismissal from the team last week could place a greater emphasis on securing another defensive lineman, as currently Reese Donahue is the only commit on d-line in the class. It may not end up being a major focus as the defensive line commits of the 2015 class were very talented, but the staff recognizes the importance of depth on the lines, especially along the trenches.

Kevin McCray was a top target at DT, standing 6'1" 280 lbs. out of Daytona Beach, Florida, but his recruitment has drifted away a little bit.  At first he seemed more interested in the program but I think ties the coaching staff and the area will see him end up at Florida Atlantic. USF and UNC are also both in the picture.

The next closest DL prospect in terms of interest is probably Jamil Dukes, who was offered by the Mountaineers about 3 weeks ago. Dukes is a 6'4", 290 lbs. prospect out of North Carolina currently ranked as a three star. Jamil has a great frame and room to put on even more weight, but his technique could use some work. That said he is a high energy player who you will see involved in a lot of plays simply due to hustle. He definitely get pressure on the QB as well from the NT position which WVU would love to see more of.  Not that the 3-3-5 is designed to facilitate that at all, but if you have someone on the line that can make those types of plays it is a huge boon. Check out his film below.

It should be a little while before Dukes makes the call and WVU will have its work cut out, but he is a good fit for the team and the Mountaineers should have a good shot with landing him. North Carolina and South Carolina have typically been tough to pull prospects from for West Virginia, but in recent years there has been a little more headway in that area. ECU and UNC will put up a fight for Dukes, but I like the odds for WVU so far.