Fits/Needs for West Virginia's 2021 Recruiting Class

Has West Virginia filled all of their needs in this recruiting cycle?

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and his staff have done a tremendous job early on in the 2021 class. They secured commitments from the top player in the state in offensive tackle Wyatt Milum and also picked up a big time playmaker at wide receiver, Kaden Prather. 

Getting into the nuts and bolts of the 2021 class, we're going to talk how the current commits fit into the program and how well the staff has done identifying needs and addressing them.

Offensive Needs Coming Into 2021 Class:

Dual-threat QB, depth at running back/experienced RB, playmaking WR, Depth at tight end, interior OL.

Fits: 

Dual-threat QB - Neal Brown wants to bring in at least one quarterback in each class and in my opinion, he got a hidden gem with Will Crowder. Pocket presence and awareness of pressure are two quality traits that he possesses. He has good zip on the ball and has a fairly quick release, but arm strength isn't fully developed just yet.

Fit Grade: 8/10

RB Depth - West Virginia has a very thin backfield in 2020 and will still be a group that is short on experience come next fall. The coaching staff is hoping to get two backs in this class to have more depth at such a demanding position. Grabbing Jaylen Anderson is a great start. He's a bruiser in between the tackles and bumps off tackles fairly easy. Now that the Mountaineers have their downhill runner, they will be in search for a back with a little wiggle.

Fit Grade: 8.5/10

Playmaking WR - Neal Brown has a ton of young wide receivers on the roster and although some of them will produce at a high level, I don't know if there is one that can dominate a game. Kaden Prather changes that. He has tremendous size (6'3", 210 lbs), great body control, and can take the top off of a defense. Prather could develop into a NFL receiver by the time he is done in Morgantown.

Fit Grade: 10/10

TE Depth - The tight end room is only three deep right now and although Mike O'Laughlin is a promising player, there needs to be more competition at the position. Davis and Wikstrom are two solid pickups, but I'm not so sure they help right away. These are two guys that are going to have to develop and likely won't be a factor until year three in the system. Although it fills the need, it doesn't necessarily change things for next year.

Fit Grade: 5/10

Interior OL - West Virginia has two offensive line commits, but are both offensive tackles (Tomas Rimac, Wyatt Milum). They have plenty of options currently on the roster, but I'm assuming that they would like to bring in at least one interior lineman in this class to add depth. So far, that need has not been met.

Fit Grade: 0/10

Bonus - Offensive tackle Wyatt Milum may be the best commit in the Mountaineers' 2021 class, but he doesn't necessarily fill a need. Both tackle spots have multiple promising players for the future. With that said, Milum will likely start by his 2nd year in the program just because he is that talented.

Fit Grade: 9/10

Offensive Fit grade: 31.5/50 (excludes bonus)

Defensive Needs Coming into 2021 Class:

Elite pass rusher, multiple LB's (preferably run stoppers).

Elite pass rusher - The Stills brothers are both likely to be gone after the 2020 season, so filling those two spots are going to be hard to do. Although West Virginia doesn't have a true pass rusher in this class, they have multiple guys to try and help fill that need (Hammond Russell, Brayden Dudley, Nijel Mcgriff, Edward Vesterinen). 

Fit grade: 6/10

Multiple LB's - Linebacker is probably the biggest need on the entire roster. They only have four linebackers listed on the roster and three of them are set to graduate following the season's end. They have plenty of guys at BANDIT that could move to MIKE or WILL, but adding a few players in this class is the best way to go. So far, WVU only has Ja'Corey Hammett committed. They have several targets that are still uncommitted, so there's still some hope to completely fill this need.

Fit grade: 5/10

Overall Defensive Fit Grade: 11/20

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