By Bob Hertzel
MORGANTOWN — The last two years West Virginia University has come up short against Cincinnati and because of it failed to win the Big East Conference football championship.
Bill Stewart plans to take steps to rectify coming up short.
How?
“I told them I wanted taller players,” he said Tuesday as he spent his final 24 hours on pins and needles awaiting the results of recruiting, 2010.
Honest, you couldn’t make that up.
The last couple of years when the Mountaineer team bus pulled up it would look like a little person’s convention had arrived in town, at least compared with some of the other teams.
The Mountaineers’ on-line roster for next year lists 31 players shorter than 6-foot, including the likes of Jock Sanders and Reggie Rembert, listed at 5-7, Noel Devine and Mike Poitier at 5-8 and, of course, running back Daquan Hargett, who is listed at 5-6.
Stewart figures it’s time to go after some taller players now.
“We are always looking for speed,” said Stewart, who cannot discuss individual recruits until he receives their national letter of intent, most of which will be in by a 3 p.m. press conference today, the first day of the national signing period. “But I wanted taller players. Little slot guys are good, but tall, fast guys are even better.”
And Stewart believes he’s done pretty well, although losing his recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday to Marshall probably cost him two to three recruits.
As of the day prior to signing day it appeared he had 17 players lined up to commit, some still swinging precariously on the edge. At the top of that group is five-star safety Latwan Anderson out of Cleveland, who committed verbally to the Mountaineers but now seems ready to delay his decision as USC and Ohio State have come into the picture.
He is considered the first- or second-best safety in the country.
The mystery is gone from some others.
Junior college defensive end-linebacker Bruce Irvin, who is 6-3, has already signed a binding letter of intent, and prep school star Deon Long, a wide receiver who was in last year’s class but went to prep school, has enrolled in school.
Wide receiver Ivan McCartney from Miramar, Fla., which is quarterback Geno Smith’s former school, seems heading toward WVU with teammate Dante Chambers. Another wide receiver, Quantavious Leslie, 6-2, is also expected to commit.
If that falls in place, the Mountaineers seem deep at wide receiver and slotbacks with Sanders and Tavon Austin back in the slot from last year along with Long, redshirts J.D. Woods, Logan Heatsie, Steadman Bailey and Ryan Nehlen and starter Bradley Starks.
They will be catching balls from Smith, who is recovering from breaking a bone in his foot during a workout, returning quarterback Coley White and recruits Barry Brunetti from Memphis and Jeremy Johnson of Texas, both expected to file letters today.
There are couple of other intriguing prospects, one being Nickell Robey of Frostproof, Fla., a cornerback who played for WVU graduate Brad Metheny and is committed to Georgia but had not yet eliminated the Mountaineers, and safety Travis Bell from Belle Glade, Fla., who committed to WVU but may follow Holliday to Marshall.
The Mountaineers are not in the market for as lot of offensive linemen, having lost only Selvish Capers from last year and having only one senior on this year’s offensive line in Mike Jobe. They do expect letters from Quinton Spain, 6-5, and Marquis Wallis, 6-3.
They do need linebackers, however, and expect Troy Gloster, Doug Rigg and 6-4 Jewone Snow, along with defensive backs Ismael Banks and Bridgeport’s Wes Tonkery and 6-5 defensive end Trevor Demko.
Still up in the air is whether the two-year courtship of Hawaii’s Tevita Finau will pay dividends. That is not expected to be known until later in the summer.
The Mountaineers have no kickers in the class but there will be a newcomer punting next year in Alabama transfer Corey Smith.
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Linebacker Reed Williams has been chosen the Big East football scholar-athlete of the year. The senior from Moorefield will receive a $2,000 scholarship, which he can apply to graduate school or professional studies. WVU offensive tackle Garin Justin won the award in 2005 and linebacker Jay Henry in 2006.
Also named to the 106-member all-Academic team from West Virginia were Maxwell Anderson, Don Barclay, Carmen Connelly, Zac Cooper, Eric Jobe, Scott Kozlowski, Josh Lider, Scott Loving, Cody Nutter, Keith Tandy and Tyler Urban.
