It's been a long road from Washington, D.C., to Morgantown for touted receiver Deon Long, and it's not done yet. But Long is one step closer after getting some good news recently. Get the latest on Long as well as several more of our nightly exclusive updates in Wednesday night's edition of EerSports on the Recruiting Trail ...
Long, one of the most sought-after receivers in the Mid-Atlantic in the Class of 2009, received qualifying test scores and will be eligible to enroll at WVU in January, said his former coach at Dunbar (D.C) High, Craig Jeffries.
"Yes, he took the test during the last grading period [and qualified]," Jeffries said.
Several schools have attempted to jump back into the picture with Long, who is spending this year at Hragrave Military Academy (Va.), but he seems to be set on becoming a Mountaineer. Jeffries said there was a variety of reasons why Long chose the 'Eers over Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Duke, Syracuse, Illinois and others.
"Coach Beatty did a great job of recruiting him. West Virginia aggressively went after him in terms of being one of the first to offer. He also is excited about getting in on the ground floor of them opening up the offense and throwing the ball more. It seems like they're opening it up this year," he said. "The football atmosphere [also was important]. Football is important to West Virginia and kids realize that."
Jeffries has had many Division I recruits during a long and successful run at Dunbar, but only one prior to Long had gone to West Virginia -- former walk-on linebacker Eric Ruth, who left the school for financial reasons. Dunbar has produced several NF players, including first-round draft picks Vernon David and Vontae Davis as well as likely first-rounder Arrelious Benn, a wide receiver at Illinois. Long, Jeffries said, is in that same class.
"The sky's the limit for Deon. He can be as good as any of the guys we've had. He has good hands, he's explosive off the ball, he can go up and make the tough catch, he blocks well and he wants to be an all-around wide receiver. A lot of players we've had don't understand all of the intricacies of the position. Deon studies and wants to be able to do everything well."
WVU In Top Four for Robert Johnson
West Virginia is still in the final four for Hattiesburg, Miss. athlete Robert Johnson, whose recruiting is heating up with several SEC coaches paying him in-home visits and stopping by to watch him practice.
“In the four schools I got, they would probably be No. 3,” Johnson said of WVU. “My top would be Mississippi State, then Ole Miss.”
Mississippi State appears to be making the biggest push to land Johnson, who is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds and ranked the No. 33 overall athlete for the 2010 recruiting class. He said the Bulldogs’ recruiting coordinator Tony Hughes, wide receivers coach Mark Hudspeth, running backs coach Greg Knox and offensive coordinator Les Koenning have all recruited him during recent in-home visits.
Johnson said Ole Miss running backs coach Enrique Davis and receivers coach Ron Dickerson have also recruited him in-home, while Auburn’s secondary coach Phillip Lolley stopped by at practice earlier today to recruit him.
Johnson has been awaiting a written offer to materialize from Florida State, but said that has still not come to fruition at this time. The recent announcement of Bobby Bowden’s retirement at FSU wouldn’t deter Johnson from considering the Seminoles, pending an offer, Johnson said.
“I might keep Florida State from a little standpoint,” he explained.
Keeping the Mountaineers in the race for Johnson are receivers coach Lonnie Galloway and defensive backs coach David Lockwood. “He called me on Tuesday,” Johnson said of Galloway. “He let me know about all the receivers that are leaving next year. I think they said I’m the No. 2 receiver on their board.”
Meanwhile Johnson said Lockwood called Oak Grove High School, arranging plans to fly in to recruit both Johnson and Jay Hughes, another versatile athlete who plays running back and corner back for Oak Grove. “Coach Lockwood said he was going to fly down next week,” Johnson said, adding that Hughes, his teammate and close friend, is also still considering the Mountaineers.
Both Johnson and Hughes visited WVU back on Sept. 12 and said the visit went well. Johnson said he is set to visit Mississippi State on Jan. 15, then plans on taking his last official visit to Auburn, later the same month. Right now, Johnson does not have any plans to commit before signing day.
It’s no wonder why Johnson and Hughes are garnering so much attention on the recruiting trail. Together, the two form a potent tandem of running backs and corner backs for Oak Grove (11-2), who has advanced to the Mississippi class 6-A state championship game this Friday, against South Panola (13-1).
NC DT Tra Thomas Considering Eers
In the effort to stockpile depth on the defensive line, an area West Virginia has been particularly thin at in this season, the Mountaineers seem to be on the trail for Wadesboro, N.C. defensive tackle Tra Thomas.
“He’s got four offers that are probably the top four, in no particular order,” said Luke Hyatt, Thomas‘ coach at Anson Senior High School. “Duke, Clemson , Michigan State and West Virginia. I don’t know if he has a favorite right now.”
Hyatt added that East Carolina and Marshall have also given Thomas written offers. Hyatt explained that Thomas told him he had been offered by WVU, but Hyatt has not yet seen that official written offer.
Hyatt said WVU receivers coach Lonnie Galloway, who is originally from North Carolina, has been recruiting Thomas. “I talked with Coach Galloway. He came by. It was a couple weeks ago,” said Hyatt.
Galloway and Thomas appear to be developing positive rapport, Hyatt said, but added there has been limited contact between the two. “It seems like. I know how they are kind of limited in what they can do,” he said. “I just met coach Galloway once and I don’t know how much Tra has talked to him.”
Thomas, 6-foot-2, 271 pounds, is ranked the No. 35 overall defensive tackle for the 2010 recruiting class. He is an explosive player who plays on both the defensive and offensive line for Anson, who is 10-4 on this season.
“He’s probably the most dominant lineman I’ve seen this year,” Hyatt said. “With that 3-3-5 [defense at WVU], Tra could probably play that nose [guard] head up. He’s just so strong and explosive -- that initial blast. He gets off the football. He’s probably going to end up benching 400 pounds before he leaves here.”
Hyatt said Thomas took an official visit to Michigan State two weeks ago. “I think he enjoyed his trip. He said it was a pretty exciting atmosphere,” said Hyatt, adding that Thomas may visit Duke on Jan. 15, but was unsure if Thomas will visit Clemson or WVU.