Register to read more...
After taking in last weekend’s Blue/Gold intra-squad scrimmage at West Virginia, at least one part of Landon Turner’s recruitment became crystal clear -- the Mountaineers coaches are sending the house to land his commitment and eventual signing.
Turner, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive tackle from Harrisonburg, Va., holds a dozen scholarship offers and currently has North Carolina, Virginia Tech, WVU, Ohio State and Michigan State in his top five.
WVU head coach Bill Stewart met with Turner and his family inside the football offices at Milan Puskar Stadium last weekend.
“He said I’ll have a home here at West Virginia,” Turner said. “They’re a really family based team. He’s a great coach. You can just see the excitement in his eyes to coach those guys and be there.”
Whether it’s proximity, familiarity or the simple fact that border states often serve as talent hubs for the stars of tomorrow, West Virginia’s football recruiting efforts are unmistakable in its immediate surrounding locales. Once again, promising recruits are turning up in both Maryland and Washington, D.C. for the 2011 class and the foundation for reeling in such players has been laid in year’s past.
Damascus, Md. athlete Brandon Phelps and Washington, D.C. tight end Darius Redman both fit the description and have been offered by WVU.
Phelps is a 6-foot, 175-pound receiver and defensive back who is being recruited primarily for defense, though he says he will play either position in college. He owns a head-turning 4.39 40-yard dash time and lists an astounding 20 scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Pitt and West Virginia.
West Virginia University was not quite what Hampton, Va., defensive prospects Caleb Taylor and Daquan Romero expected it to be. “I didn’t know it was going to be like that,” Taylor said. “I thought the college campus was just on a mountain away from everything. I didn’t know it had the downtown right there. It was basically like a little city.”
With the spring game coming up and basketball recruiting switching gears to the Class of 2011, there's no lack of WVU recruiting news, and we've got plenty of it for you in this week's edition of EerSports.com on the Recruiting Trail ...