WVU Recruiting: Mock Projections of 2021 Offensive Class 1.0

A look at who may commit to West Virginia in the 2021 class

Photo by Jerome Miron-Mountaineer Maven

The West Virginia Mountaineers just recently capped off its 2020 signing class and boy, did they finish strong. The staff was able to land the services of defensive end/outside linebacker Eddie Watkins - who chose West Virginia over Arizona and Missouri. In addition to Watkins, they also landed running back A'varius Sparrow and linebacker James Thomas. According to Keenan Cummings of Rivals.com, this was one of the best recruiting classes in West Virginia history as they finished as the 28th best class and third in the Big 12, only trailing Texas and Oklahoma.

Neal Brown has repeatedly stated that the 2021 class will be a real good measuring stick of what they'll be able to do as far as bringing in top talent to Morgantown. With his first full recruiting cycle under his belt, he now has something to build on. Can West Virginia finish inside the top 25 with the 2021 class? If the 2020 class was any indication, I'd be willing to say that it is entirely possible.

With all of that being said, today, we decided to break down our first version of the mock 2021 class (offense only).

  **Note this is purely based off of the recruits interest in West Virginia and does not reflect the amount of available scholarships that will be available. Those numbers will change throughout the off-season.**

QB Chrisitan Veilleux (Potomac, MD)

Offers: Arizona State, Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Penn  State, Pitt, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and several others.

Analysis: Neal Brown has stated before that he would like to bring in at least one quarterback per year to ensure that there will always be competition and depth at that position. Veilleux has visited West Virginia a couple of times and has gained major interest in the program.

RB Roman Hemby (Bel Air, MD)

Offers: Charlotte, Southern Miss, Temple, West Virginia and others.

Analysis: West Virginia needs to add more depth at running back and I wouldn't be surprised to see them take two in the 2021 class. Leddie Brown will be a senior in 2021, so they'll need to gear up for his void left behind. Hemby has developed a strong relationship with the coaching staff, but not sure where the staff stands with him. Certainly one to keep an eye on.

RB Eric McDaniels (Hopewell, VA)

Offers: Duke, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Pitt, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Virginia, Virginia Tech and several others.

Analysis: McDaniels loves West Virginia and recently put them in his top list of schools. His relationship with Chad Scott is continuing to put the Mountaineers in a good spot. He's a big, physical back that will run right through people. Safe to say he's a downhill runner.

WR JJ Jones (Myrtle Beach, SC)

Offers: Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Louisville, North Carolina State, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and several others.

Analysis: JJ Jones is the son of former West Virginia running back Jon Jones. The connection he has to the program runs deep and I don't see any other school snatching him up. He told Mountaineer Maven a couple of months back that it would be "surreal" to play at West Virginia an he would love to surpass the legacy of his dad.

OT Wyatt Milum (Huntington, WV)

Offers: Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Louisville, Michigan, Ohio State, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and several others.

Analysis: Neal Brown will put an emphasis on recruiting the state and he proved that this past recruiting class by getting defensive end Sean Martin. Milum is another big time offensive from Huntington and West Virginia has swung and missed on all of the previous guys. However, that was the old coaching regime. I think it changes this time around.

OG Ryan Rodriguez (Miami, FL)

Offers: Indiana, Louisville, Miami, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Wake Forest, West Virginia and a few others.

Analysis: The Mountaineers need to continue to stockpile guys up front and Rodriguez is a newer name that has picked up on West Virginia's radar. The early parts of the recruitment seem to be going well with lead recruiter Travis Trickett.

OG Aaron Gunn (New Castle, PA)

Offers: Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Western Michigan and West Virginia.

Analysis: Gunn is the cousin of Greg and Vertus Jones - both whom are West Virginia wrestling legends. There always seems to be a connection in each recruiting class and that's no different this year. Gunn has been on campus several times and has a real good feel for the program and has West Virginia at the top of his list.

Current offensive commits

WR Andrew Wilson-Lamp, TE Victor Wikstrom.