National Signing Day 2018: Top 10 diamonds in the rough

Similar to their old Big East rivals, West Virginia must focus its recruiting energy out of state. However, unlike the Cardinals, who use a focused approach in Florida, Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen typically provides a scattershot recruiting map of states in the South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.

The 2018 West Virginia recruiting class currently includes seven players that are enrolled, and 12 others that have signed, and two hard commits. Out of state high school players hail from Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky and Delaware. Holgorsen has also traveled to Mississippi and Kansas for junior college prospects.

Though some of the states the Mountaineers recruit provide a steady stream of talent, others typically don’t. Delaware, for instance, would never be confused for a recruiting hotbed. However, Leddie Brown, a native of the First State, is one of the most intriguing players in the class and a potential diamond in the rough.

Brown is listed as an athlete, and measures in at 6-foot and 210 pounds. Ranked No. 550 overall and No. 41 among athletes in the Composite, Brown is built like a running back and performed well at the position in high school.

However, it can be very difficult to evaluate the true talent of a prospect who faces relatively weak competition compared to players from more fertile recruiting grounds, like Florida. His 247Sports evaluation begins with an apt description:

"“Watching Brown play is like watching a man among boys…”"

Therefore, it wasn’t that surprising that Brown opted to transfer to a Philadelphia private school for his senior season. And, with Brown leading the way, Neumann-Goretti High School rebounded from a winless season in 2016 to an 11-1 record last year.