West Virginia football: Grading Mountaineers 2021 recruiting class

Grading the West Virginia football 2021 recruiting class while the Mountaineers try to find their footing in the Big 12 under Neal Brown.

In this strange 2020 season, West Virginia football has more than held their own and given a strong sign that Mountaineers fans should have faith in Neal Brown. Despite some talent deficiencies in the Big 12, they are 5-4 overall on the year and have played well in almost every game on the schedule.

But the next step for Brown and West Virginia is bringing in more talent. That’s where the 2021 recruiting cycle comes in. So how have the Mountaineers done in that capacity to this point?

Let’s answer that question as we break down the West Virginia football 2021 recruiting class and hand out a grade to the Mountaineers. Note: All rankings are via the 247 Sports Composite.

Biggest West Virginia football commit for 2021: Wyatt Milum, OT

At West Virginia, Brown has to make it a point to get the top recruit in the state and he accomplished that with 4-star offensive tackle Wyatt Milum. The 6-foot-6, 273-pound 4-star prospect ranks just outside of the top 100 overall players in the class and, while he may need to hit the weight room some before he sees the field, his mobility and frame offer tremendous potential for him to be a stalwart on the edge of the offensive line.

Strengths, weaknesses of the 2021 West Virginia football recruiting class

Of the five players that West Virginia is bringing in that rank inside the top 500 overall recruits, four of them play either running back or wide receiver. For a team looking to compete in the Big 12, that’s what you want to see if you’re Brown.

Unfortunately, the defensive line leaves a bit to be desired here. The top recruit in that position group is Hammond Russell, a 3-star who is at No. 777 nationally. That leaves a lot of room for the coaching staff to develop players which simply makes their job harder.

Diamond in the rough of 2021 West Virginia football class: Victor Wikstrom, TE

Since he’s coming from Sweden (not surprisingly the top prospect in the class from the Scandanavian country), Wikstrom is a bit of an unknown commodity. With intriguing size at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and some solid physical tools, though, it’ll be interesting to see how he can be used in this Mountaineers offense.

Where does West Virginia football rank in the 2021 recruiting cycle?

West Virginia is the No. 4 team in the Big 12, which is what they want to see. But the Mountaineers also are only No. 37 nationally in the 2021 recruiting rankings, which offers room for improvement.

West Virginia football recruiting grade: B-

If the Mountaineers had performed better in their home state outside of Milum, this grade might be higher. Even still, this is a solid showing from Brown and his staff given the situation.

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