Josiah Trotter Explains Why He Turned Down Several Perennial Powers for WVU

The West Virginia linebacker wasn't going logo hunting in his recruitment.

Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Josiah Trotter was one of the most sought after linebackers in the country coming out of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, PA. He held offers from Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and several others.

So why in the world would he choose West Virginia over some of those big-time names? He explained his decision earlier this week.

“You know when they need you and when they like you," Trotter said. 'That’s the biggest thing, especially as a recruit. You want to go where you’re needed, not just where you’re liked or even wanted too. I knew that they didn’t just want/like me, they needed and wanted me and that was something that just really set them apart from everybody else.”

Oftentimes for a program like West Virginia, you have to get in really early on these types of recruits to really stand a chance. That wasn't the case here with Trotter. The Mountaineers didn't offer Trotter until March of 2022, so to be able to secure a commitment from him speaks volumes to what WVU has to offer and what this coaching staff is building.

“West Virginia came in a lot later on kind of after I got all of those big schools and I never thought I would honestly be here until Coach Koonz reached out and texted me pretty consistently. I wasn’t the recruit to really look at logos and how big a school was. I wanted to go somewhere that really wanted me for me and I fit with the scheme, the culture, and I could make an impact. He kept reaching out, I took a visit and I fell in love with it, the scheme, the coaches, the area, how the fans treated the team…what the WV logo really meant to West Virginia. And I love seeing how Karl Joseph, Tavon Austin, and a lot of those older dudes really made an impact on this team and this state and I wanted to be able to do that.”

The expectation was that Trotter would come right in and compete for a starting job as a true freshman. It may have been early, but the staff really liked what they saw out of him and felt good about his chances of not just seeing the field, but earning that starting spot. That was until he went down with a knee injury during spring practice, costing him his entire freshman year.

Trotter is expected to be a big part of West Virginia's defense in 2024 and is competing for the starting WILL linebacker spot with Ben Cutter.

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