WVU Football Commitment Watch: August 2021

A look at a handful of recruits and analyzing where the Mountaineers stand with them.

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The Mountaineers are hoping their momentum on the recruiting trail continues into August after racking up several commits over the past two months. West Virginia is on the verge of landing at least two more recruits in the 2022 class in the coming weeks. As we do at the beginning of every month, we take a look at the top recruits who are considering WVU that are closing in on their decision.

ATH Jaden Mangham (Franklin, MI)

Mangham has been building a relationship with the WVU coaching staff for well over a year. Getting him on campus was huge for Neal Brown and his staff to show what the program is really about and to also get the meet the coaches and see the facilities in person.

"I had a great time. We got to tour all of the facilities and the academic side of it. All of the coaches were great. They did a great job of spending time with all of the recruits and explaining how they would develop and use us in their scheme," Mangham said. "I think it's a very exciting program which has produced some great players over the years. You can put WVU's tradition up there with anyone."

Mangham was originally scheduled to make his announcement on August 1st but had trouble with internet connection. It is still expected that he will make his decision soon.

I put in my prediction for Mangham on June 15th and despite all the visits he's taken since, I'm sticking with my pick. Click here to view the prediction for Mangham.

DE Tomiwa Durojaiye (Middletown, DE)

Durojaiye has also visited Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and South Carolina in addition to his trip to Morgantown. With WVU being able to secure an official visit from him back in June, the Mountaineers are in a great spot alongside Georgia Tech and South Carolina while Vanderbilt and Kentucky are a bit behind in the race in my opinion. However, Durojaiye just recently completed visits to both Vandy and Kentucky but the gap might be too much to overcome for both schools. 

I have yet to put in a prediction for Durojaiye but West Virginia certainly has a good chance at landing him. 

He'll be making his decision on August 14th.

DE Bryan Thomas Jr. (Winter Garden, FL)

Thomas Jr. told Mountaineer Maven a few weeks ago that he was hoping to make a decision by the end of July. Well, we are now well into the first week of August and Thomas remains undecided. That being said, I would expect that he will still make his college destination known sometime before the start of his senior season. His final four candidates include South Carolina, Marshall, UConn, and West Virginia. WVU already has two edge rushers committed in the 2022 class with Zion Young and Aric Burton. With Tomiwa Durojaiye yet to decide as well, it's all going to come down to numbers. If Durojaiye does indeed choose West Virginia, I believe Thomas Jr. will land elsewhere. 

LB Travious Lathan (Miami, FL)

West Virginia has struggled to land true linebackers in the 2021 and 2022 classes but securing a commitment from Lathan could change their fortunes. Lathan is a consensus four-star recruit that would be considered one of the top recruits in the class if he were to choose WVU. Lathan had a great first impression of West Virginia during his official visit back in June and has since been a hard WVU lean. Lathan has not set a decision date at this time but it appears West Virginia, Pitt, and Tulane, yes, Tulane, are the three most heavily involved.

Other names to watch:

WR Brandon White, WR Peter Kikwata, OT Trent Ramsey

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