West Virginia Football Recruiting: Top 2013 Targets

Entering the 2012 college football season, the West Virginia Mountaineers are poised to play their first season in a big time conference.

The coaching staff is excited because they now can pitch the stability of their conference—something they did not have the luxury of a year ago. This year there have been several new additions to the Mountaineer coaching staff, and many have roots in football hotbeds such as Texas and Florida. 

Co-defensive coordinators Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson are employing a 3-4 scheme—a move that will help WVU recruit much better on the defensive side of the ball. The 3-4 is a much easier scheme to teach than the complicated 3-3-5 stack employed by former coordinator Jeff Casteel, who has since moved to Arizona.

There are many recruits on the Mountaineer staff's radar, and in my slide show, we will take a look at several prospects who may be playing in Morgantown in the near future.

Chavas Rawlins, Monessen, PA

This battle will be between West Virginia and Ohio State, and the Mountaineers are looking for their first commitment after standout safety Jayme Thompson flipped to the Buckeyes over the weekend.

At 6'4'' and 190 pounds, this player has a great frame for a quarterback at the college level, and add in his athleticism and this kid could be Geno 2.0.

Over all, Rawlins has a list of six finalists that includes Pittsburgh, North Carolina, South Florida and Purdue along with WVU and the Buckeyes.

What favors WVU in this race is the proximity to home, which Rawlins has said is a factor.

Rawlins was offered by the Mountaineers on March 12, when he visited the campus for a spring practice, and his lead recruiters are Steve Dunlap and quarterback coach Jake Spavital.

The PA native will visit the Mountaineers for the second time on April 9th for a spring scrimmage, along with his younger brother.

If the coaching staff does well on this visit, his decision could fall in the favor of WVU, particularly with the recent commitment of former target Kyle Kempt to Cincinnati.

Yannick Ngakoue, Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington D.C

The Mountaineers were the first to offer this 4-star linebacker out of the D.C area, and historically, WVU has done very well recruiting in this region.

West Virginia will have plenty of competition for this linebacker, as he has accumulated 16 offers from programs such as Florida, Florida State, Auburn and Michigan.

Ngakoue has a comparable list to former target and current signee Deontay McManus. Taking charge in his recruitment is cornerback coach Daron Roberts, and that is a very good sign for Mountaineer fans.

Roberts is a young coach who relates very well with recruits, and as we know that is crucial in recruiting. Ngakoue doesn't have a time frame for his commitment, and with such a vast offer list, I would guess that his recruitment would last well into his senior season.

He had a beastly junior season racking up 59 tackles and eight sacks. Watch those numbers climb in his senior year, and WVU fans will be elated if this talent chooses Morgantown as his destination for the next four years. 

Hodari Christian, McKeesport, PA

Christian has solid size at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds and is being recruited as a hybrid outside linebacker or safety. The PA native visited Morgantown for the Mountaineers' junior day back in February. 

Following the visit, WVU was in the lead for his services, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. His lead recruiter is assistant head coach Steve Dunlap, and he has two scheduled visits in the month of April: one April 15th and the other for the WVU spring game.

The more visits the better for any prospect, and with Christian increasing familiarity with the program, one would have to like WVU's chances in this recruitment.

The athlete also has offers from Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers, Akron and Temple.

Devin Washington, Orlando, FL

Washington is a beast at defensive end and is rated a 3-star prospect by Rivals. At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, this player has ideal size for the 3-4 scheme the Mountaineers have employed with their move to the Big 12.

The Florida native has over 18 offers from the likes of Illinois, Louisville, Mississippi and South Carolina just to name a few.

This player is also a standout in the classroom, as he has a ridiculous GPA of 4.8. WVU also has a wild card in this race, as Washington is friends with current Mountaineer safety Karl Joseph, who is also a native of Orlando.

New co-defensive coordinator Joe DeForest is the lead recruiter for Washington and the new Mountaineer coach loves this player and for good reason. As a junior, the Florida standout had 55 tackles, 11 of those for loss and seven sacks.

One Mountaineer coach I would watch for to join in on the recruiting process would be Robert Gillespie. The WVU coach is a beast at recruiting the state of Florida and would only help in my opinion.

I expect this recruitment to last for awhile, but I like West Virginia's chances in this one.

Wendell Smallwood, Eastern Christian Academy, MD

Smallwood has solid size for a running back at 5-foot-11, 204-pounds and has great speed. The Maryland native ran a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash, and the Mountaineers are drooling at the thought of that speed in head coach Dana Holgorsen's high-powered offense.

The junior tailback is being recruited by Daron Roberts who recruits the D.C area and is intrigued by the potential to play early for WVU.

Smallwood will be another prospect in attendance for the West Virginia spring game on April 21 and is another classroom star, as he sports a 3.8 GPA.

This speedster has offers from the likes of Auburn, Rutgers and West Virginia.

This player is one of the more underrated players in the nation, and I feel is recruitment will blow up once his senior season takes off.

Damon Mitchell, Cedar Creek H.S, NJ

Damon Mitchell is another target who is flying under the radar, and at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds he has great size and speed. The former running back has the speed of a tail back, but he aspires to be a quarterback at the college level.

This player is the definition of a dual-threat QB, and last season he had 859 yards passing to go along with 937 rushing yards. This athlete is being recruited on both sides of the ball by the likes of Rutgers, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The Mountaineers have yet to offer this prospect, but with an offer, I would expect a commitment fairly quickly.

Devon Edwards, Columbus, OH

Edwards is a very versatile athlete who is being recruited at tight end and defensive end as well. The Mountaineers were the first to offer the Ohio native, and he is being recruited by Steve Dunlap

WVU likes Edwards at defensive end, and he plans to visit campus on April 8th.

He is receiving interest from several big time programs such as Oregon and Boston College and has yet to narrow anything down, but WVU is in good position here.

DeShawn Coleman, Hickory, PA

This kid is one of my favorite targets in this year's cycle. How he has flown under the radar is beyond me, but one look at his film and you will see why WVU offered in February. 

As a junior he rushed for 2,445 yards with 36 touchdowns. The Pennsylvania standout has visited Morgantown several times and is scheduled to visit for the Blue and Gold game. Along with WVU he has offers from Penn State and Purdue.

The Mountaineer coaching staff is putting on the full-court press for this prospect, and he has said numerous times that he is a WVU lean.

One program to watch for here is Ohio State, but as of now the Mountaineers are in good position to land his services.