Freshmen Faces: DL Akheem Mesidor

Looking at what freshman defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor brings to the table for West Virginia

Recruitment

The Mountaineers received a huge pickup on signing day in December with defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor (Ontario, Canada), who chose West Virginia over several Power Five offers including Georgia Tech, Pitt, Syracuse, UCLA, Iowa State, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Washington State, and many others. For the longest time, it seemed like Syracuse, Pitt, and UCLA were going to be the ones to duke it out for him, but the West Virginia coaching staff pursued him hard down the stretch.

Player Breakdown

Mesidor (6'2", 268 lbs) has through the roof kind of potential. I'm usually very cautious about giving a true freshman high expectations, but not with Mesidor. He is going to be an absolute stud on the Mountaineer defense. He gets off the ball extremely well, he's sneaky quick, slippery, and constantly fights his way into the backfield. He can play both inside and out, but I think you'll see him more on the edge because of his pass rushing ability. He is one of the very few over the years that I am confident will be a star at some point in his collegiate career. This dude can play.

2020 Outlook

Neal Brown has praised Mesidor early in camp and I think you'll see him earn a contributing role somewhere on the defense. West Virginia is loaded up front, but that doesn't block out all opportunities for Mesidor. He can and likely will be a highly productive sub.

What are your expectations for Akheem Mesidor in 2020? Let us know your thought in the comment section below!

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