West Virginia 2012 Recruiting

West Virginia Mountaineers 2012 ... Head Coach: Dana Holgorsen

West Virginia Mountaineers

2011 Record: 10-3

Sep. 3 Marshall W 34-13
Sep. 10 Norfolk State W 55-12
Sep. 17 at Maryland W 37-31
Sep. 24 LSU L 47-23
Oct. 1 Bowling Green W 55-10
Oct. 8 Connecticut W 43-16
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 22 at Syracuse L 49-23
Oct. 29 at Rutgers W 41-31
Nov. 5 Louisville L 38-35
Nov. 12 at Cincinnati W 24-21
Nov. 19 OPEN DATE
Nov. 25 Pitt W 21-20
Dec. 1 at USF W 30-27
Orange Bowl
Jan. 4 Clemson W 70-33

2010 CFN Prediction: 10-2
2010 Record: 9-4

Sept. 4 Coastal Carolina W 31-0
Sept. 10 at Marshall W 24-21 OT
Sept. 18 Maryland W 31-17
Sept. 25 at LSU L 20-14
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 9 UNLV W 49-10
Oct. 14 USF W 20-6
Oct. 23 Syracuse L 19-14
Oct. 29 at Connecticut L 16-13 OT
Nov. 6 OPEN DATE
Nov. 13 Cincinnati W 37-10
Nov. 20 at Louisville W 17-10
Nov. 26 at Pitt W 35-10
Dec. 4 Rutgers W 35-14
CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL
Dec. 28 NC State L 23-7
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 West Virginia Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. OG Tyler Orlosky
6-4, 290, Scout.com 13th ranked, four-star guard. Orlosky is a throw back guard. A mauler. He blocks to the whistle and finishes strong. He's a good run blocker, who does a great job with his hands and feet and is able to redirect defenders and move them. He's a strong kid. In space, I wouldn't say he's a ballerina, but he's no klutz either. He is coordinated, keeps his feet very well and finds people to block in the second level. He also shows good footwork in pass protection.

2. LB Sam Lebbie
6-2, 235, Scout.com 6th ranked, four-star middle linebacker.

3. WR Deontay McManus
6-1, 210, Scout.com 33rd ranked, four-star receiver.

4. QB Ford Childress
6-5, 210, Scout.com 26th ranked, three-star quarterback.

5. S Jarrod Harper
6-0, 200, 34th ranked, three-star safety. Rushed for 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior while earning area player of the year honors. Was also a second-team small school all-state pick.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... More receivers. Head coach Dana Holgorsen got a few nice prospects last year for the offense, but this year he’s loading up on receivers and pass catchers to make his high-octane attack shine. The offense had more than its share of star prospect from recent classes, but the talent is flowing to assure that the passing game remains among the nation’s most dangerous.

Team Concerns For 2012: Not much. A few starters in the secondary have to be replaced, and a little bit of help is needed on the offensive front, but there’s a reason WVU will be ranked in the preseason top ten and possibly the top five. The 2012 class will be for the future with so many established players already in place, but the offense is about to get even more explosive and even deeper.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Which West Virginia will show up? Will it be the one that blew the doors off of Clemson in a jaw-dropping Orange Bowl win, or will it be the one that struggled in game after game against mediocre Big East teams? The offense should be unstoppable with quarterback Geno Smith a possible Heisman front-runner, and all the key skill weapons back at his disposal including RB Shawne Alston and WR Tavon Austin. The line has to replace two starters, but it should be fine with a little bit of time. The defense will be along for the ride, but it’ll be loaded with experience with three starters back up front – but not top end Julian Miller – and two back at linebacker. Three starters return in the secondary only losing safety Eain Smith.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Defensive backs. While all the talk about the coaching changes helped bring in offensive stars who want to be a part of the Dana Holgorsen attack, led by running backs Andrew Buie and Vernard Roberts and receivers Dante Caldwell and K.J. Myers, but the defense got the best all-around talents with JUCO transfer Shaq Rowell ready to roll right away at defensive tackle and linebacker Joshua Francis a strong JUCO transfer who’ll be used in a variety of ways. Safeties Terrell Chestnut, Shaquille Petteway, and Nick Kwiatkoski are all going to be factors in the next three years.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 35. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receivers. West Virginia? Wide Receivers? Bill Stewart came up with several excellent, dangerous targets led by Ivan McCartney out of Florida. The 6-1, 175-pound playmaker spurned Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee to come to Morgantown, but Deon Long might end up playing earlier on. The Mountaineers also came up with several good defensive back prospects starting with safety Latwan Anderson, a flash of lightning who hits like a ton of bricks and chose WVU over Ohio State.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 24. That Class Was Heavy On ... Skill position players. The Mountaineers have roped in a slew of speedy, dynamic backs and receivers, who can go a long with the ball. What else is new? This class, which is particularly heavy on outstanding wideouts, is tailored-made for an offense that hopes to throw the ball more than in the past. Logan Heastie was fielding interest from the likes of Florida and USC, so he might waste little time getting on the field.

Orange Bowl
West Virginia 70 … Clemson 33

West Virginia: Total offense: WVU 589 – Clemson 443 … Geno Smith completed 31-of-43 passes for 401 yards and six scores. … Shawn Alson ran 20 times for 77 yards and two scores. … Tavon Austin caught 11 passes for 117 yards and four scores. … Eain Smith made 12 tackles.

Clemson: Average yards per rush: Clemson 7.1 – WVU 4.3 … Tajh Boyd completed 24-of-46 passes for 250 yards and two scores and two picks. … Andre Ellington ran ten times for 116 yards and a score. … DeAndre Hopkins caught ten passes for 107 yards and a score. … Sammy Watkins caught five passes for 66 yards and a score. … Rashard Hall made eight tackles with a pick.

MIAMI (AP) -- The West Virginia Mountaineers were tough to slow down, and only the Orange Bowl mascot could stop Darwin Cook.

Geno Smith tied the record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, and the No. 23-ranked Mountaineers set a bowl scoring record Wednesday night with their high-powered offense. But safety Cook made the pivotal play by returning a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown to break the game open and help rout No. 14 Clemson 70-33.

Cook collided comically with mascot Obie after scoring one of the Mountaineers' five TDs in the second quarter, including three in the final 2:29 for a 49-20 lead. It was the highest-scoring half by a team in a bowl game.

"I always envisioned making great plays," Cook said. "If you think it will happen, it will happen."

Tavon Austin tied a record for any bowl game with four touchdown catches. Smith went 31 for 42, and had 401 yards passing to break Tom Brady's Orange Bowl record. Smith also ran for a score, helping West Virginia break the bowl record for points established six nights earlier when Baylor beat Washington 67-56 in the Alamo Bowl.

"Never could we imagine we'd put up 70 points," Smith said.

The Mountaineers (10-3) won in their first Orange Bowl appearance and improved to 3-0 in Bowl Championship Series games.

"The guys wanted to come in and make a statement, and the only way you can do that is if you play well on all three sides of the ball," coach Dana Holgorsen said.

Clemson (10-4) lost playing in its first major bowl in 30 years.

"We're a better team than we played tonight," coach Dabo Swinney said. "Just too many mistakes. But we'll be back."

The offensive showcase was the latest in a succession this bowl season, and perhaps the last. Defense is expected to dominate in the final BCS game Monday night when Louisiana State faces Alabama for the national title.

Tacklers had their hands full - or rather, they didn't - on a chilly night in Miami. Smith and Austin combined on scoring passes of 8, 27, 3 and 37 yards, and Shawne Alston scored on two short runs for West Virginia, which totaled 589 yards and 31 first downs. Smith was chosen the game's outstanding player.

Even when Clemson managed to corral the Mountaineers, the play wasn't always over. Andrew Buie rolled over a defender but was never downed, so he got up and ran for an additional 18 yards.

Clemson couldn't keep up with the Big East Conference co-champions, although Andre Ellington did score the game's first points on a 68-yard run. First-team All-Americans Sammy Watkins and Dwayne Allen combined for only seven catches for 87 yards.

"We kind of got down when they scored so many points in such a short amount of time," Watkins said.

Amid the flurry of points, it was a defender who came up with second-longest scoring play in Orange Bowl history.

Clemson was on the verge of taking the lead in the second quarter when Ellington ran up the middle and disappeared into a heap at the 1. A teammate signaled touchdown, but the ball came loose and Cook grabbed it, then took off with nothing but the end zone in front of him.

"I saw the ball come loose," he said. "I grabbed it. I didn't hear a whistle, so I ran."

After Cook crossed the goal line, he gleefully leaped on mascot Obie, a smiling orange, and they both tumbled to the turf. Obie rose unhurt and resumed her duties.

Cook and Obie met on the field after the game and shared a hug.

"I didn't know you were a girl," he told the mascot. "I apologize."

Smith, standing in the sideline, watched a video replay of Cook's touchdown in disbelief.

"Crazy, man," Smith said. "When I saw that, I knew things were breaking our way."

The potential 14-point swing seemed to deflect the Tigers, who had moved the ball almost at will to that point.

"It was a pretty big moment," Swinney said. "They hadn't really stopped us. That was huge. Then it snowballed quickly."

The Tigers were doomed when quarterback Tajh Boyd committed subsequent turnovers on consecutive Clemson plays.

After Smith ran 7 yards on a keeper for a 35-20 lead, Pat Miller intercepted Boyd's pass. Smith flipped a 1-yard touchdown pass to Austin and, on the next play, a call was overturned, with the replay official determining Boyd had lost a fumble.

Alston then ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 4 seconds left in the half.

"Momentum swung not in our favor, and it was hard to recapture," Boyd said. "West Virginia is a great offense. You can't really get behind them. We couldn't stop them. Guys were gassed. Their legs were going. It was a tough loss - pretty embarrassing."

Defensive woes were nothing new for the Tigers, who won their first Atlantic Coast Conference title in 20 years but gave up at least 30 points in six regular-season games.

Clemson kept pace for a while, leading 17-14 after one period. It was the highest-scoring first quarter and first half in Orange Bowl history.

West Virginia went ahead for the first time early in the second period on an 80-yard touchdown drive capped by Austin's 27-yard catch, making the score 21-17. Cook's takeaway touchdown came next, and the Mountaineers were off to the races.

"You don't score 70 points by being good on offense," Holgorsen said. "You score 70 points by being good on all three sides of the ball."

Dec. 2 West Virginia 30 … at South Florida 27
CFN Anlysis: It wasn’t exactly a pretty, dominant effort with three huge mistakes, eight penalties, and one of Geno Smith’s worst games of his career, but after throwing a horrible pick six midway through the fourth, he roared back with two great scoring drives to pull out the win and give his Mountaineers a piece of the Big East championship … WVU only converted 2-of-14 third down chances, but he was solid on all three fourth down tries. … All year long the running game was non-existent, but Dustin Garrison came up big late with the rest of the offense struggling. He finished with an effective 87 yards and a score on 16 carries. … Smith got plenty of time to work; the receivers struggled to get open. Tavon Austin has a world of talent, but he has to be a crisper route-runner. 

Nov. 25 at West Virginia 21 … Pitt 20  

Nov. 12 West Virginia 24 … at Cincinnati 21
CFN Analysis: Eain Smith’s blocked field goal didn’t exactly save the season, but it was a big moment to keep the Mountaineers alive for the Big East title. The team isn’t playing well, but it continues to rally late when it has to. … After losing to Louisville at home last week, the Mountaineers couldn’t make it three losses in four weeks; the team is way too good to be this mediocre. The offense is too good and the defense is too athletic, but it just can’t put together a full sixty minutes. … Geno Smith was Geno Smith, rallying the team back in the fourth quarter, and he got his yards again finishing with 372 yards and a score. But once again, he had to with no running game to count on. … Help is needed, but WVU will have the tie-breaker over Rutgers and UC. The wins over Pitt and USF are a must, and to get them, the team has to be smarter. The 14 penalties were a killer.  

Nov. 5 Louisville 38 … at West Virginia 35
CFN Analysis: For once, West Virginia didn’t stink out of the gate and it didn’t need to mount a massive comeback until the fourth quarter, but the defense couldn’t stop Teddy Bridgewater and a key special teams breakdown turned out to be the difference in the shootout. Geno Smith threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns in a brilliant effort, and the team’s two turnovers shouldn’t have been too much to overcome, but there was never a time in the second half when the team could get control after getting down ten. The BCS hopes aren’t gone even after losing two of the last three games, but the defense has to quickly figure out how to bother an opposing quarterback again after getting torched the last few weeks and with Cincinnati’s Zach Collaros up next. 

Oct. 29 West Virginia 41 … at Rutgers 31
CFN Analysis: The Mountaineers like to play with fire. They couldn’t rally and come back against Syracuse last week, but they were able to roll for 20 points in the second half against Rutgers to keep Big East title hopes alive. The defense that struggled so much in the first half was terrific in the second, finishing with four takeaways while shutting down and shutting out the Scarlet Knights late. Geno Smith wasn’t his normal bombs-away self, but he didn’t throw any picks and he came up with the big rushing touchdown late in the clutch. Syracuse didn’t expose the Mountaineers, but Rutgers almost did. Louisville is starting to play just well enough to pull off the upset next week, but it won’t happen if the WVU offense can put together a full sixty minutes. The pass rush continues to be a problem, but as long as the offense is doing its job, the defense’s job is to not screw up. Over the last two weeks, it hasn’t exactly been tight.  

Oct. 22 at Syracuse 49 … West Virginia 23
CFN Analysis: After a couple of dominant, brilliant performances against Bowling Green and Connecticut, the Mountaineers came up with a strangely unfocused performance. Geno Smith wasn’t good enough early on, and while he threw well to pile up the yards in the second half, it was too late. His best pass play, a brilliant 64-yard connection to Stedman Bailey, was ruined by special teams gaffes with a missed extra point and a breakdown on the ensuing kickoff for a score. It’s not quite right to blame a loss like this on not having enough energy, but Syracuse was flying around and playing at another level, and the Mountaineers didn’t respond. Usually it’s a tale of two halves in WVU games, but the switch didn’t go on in the second half. Against Rutgers next week and its nasty, aggressive defense, getting off to a hotter start will be a must. 

Oct. 8 at West Virginia 43 … Connecticut 16
CFN Analysis: The West Virginia offense has its pattern, and as long as it keeps working, everything will be fine. It takes a half for the attack to get warmed up, and then when it does … boom. Connecticut kept the game interesting for the first thirty minutes, and then down 10-9, the Mountaineers went to work as Geno Smith came up with three third quarter touchdown passes, on the way to 450 yards, and Stedman Bailey was brilliant with seven catches for 178 yards and two scores to make a tight battle a blowout. The defense did a better job of dialing up the pressure, but as long as the offense is throwing like it did in the second half, all the D has to do is hold serve.     

Oct. 1 at West Virginia 55 … Bowling Green 10
CFN Analysis: Who said the Mountaineers couldn’t run the ball? After spending the first part of the season bombing away, Dustin Garrison took over against Bowling Green with 291 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. This was Dana Holgorsen showing the Big East that his offense can blast off 360 rushing yards on occasion, and now teams will have to prepare for everything. Geno Smith did his part with 238 passing yards and three scores in a complete offensive effort. The defense still can’t generate any semblance of a pass rush, but that’s nitpicking. Finally, the Mountaineers jumped all over a team from the start, and as long as the offense is keeping the turnovers to a minimum, there won’t be any problems over the next several weeks starting with a home date against UConn up next. 

Sept. 24 LSU 47 … at West Virginia 21
CFN Analysis: West Virginia’s passing game worked, but there were too many mistakes and too many miscues to beat a team as good as LSU. While outgaining the Tigers 533 to 366 will look nice on the stat sheet, the ten penalties, four turnovers, and key breakdowns on special teams and in the secondary will be what haunts the team going forward. On the plus side, the passing game worked against a defense playing at the highest of levels, and it nothing else, this game should be confidence-builder for the rest of the season. There’s no one else on the schedule that can handle this offense. 

Sept. 17 West Virginia 37 … at Maryland 31
CFN Analysis: If West Virginia could ever put together a full sixty minutes, it would be deadly. The offense worked well with Geno Smith bombing away for 388 yards and a touchdown, and Tavon Austin was terrific with 11 catches for 122 yards, but things started to fizzle in the second half after getting up 34-10. The offense needed to be able to run the ball, and it didn’t, and when Maryland started to make it a game again, Smith and the passing game couldn’t turn it back on. The Mountaineers won’t do anything against LSU’s run defense, and if Smith isn’t flawless, they’ll have big problems. However, they’ll keep pressing the ball and they’ll fearlessly push the ball down the field. Consistency, though, will be the key to the upset bid.  

Sept. 10 at West Virginia 55 ... Norfolk State 12
CFN Analysis: The final score might make it look like it was a walk in the park, but the Mountaineers were down 12-10 at halftime before getting everything rolling. Geno Smith ended up with 371 yards and four touchdown passes, and Paul Millard came on late to complete 5-of-6 passes for 60 yards and a score, but the team can’t take so long to wake up. After a mediocre performance against Marshall, and with the first half this week, the offense hasn’t exactly been consistent. With Maryland up next and LSU to follow, the Mountaineers have to put together a full sixty minutes or they’ll be rallying again, only next time against a real defense. The WVU defense has done a great job of getting into the backfield, but it only registered one sack in two games. 

Sept. 4 at West Virginia 34 … Marshall 13
CFN Analysis: The real story might have been the weather and the rain and lightning delay, and while the offense didn’t quite roll as expected with just 291 total yards, everything worked out fine. Geno Smith was as strong as expected throwing for 249 yards with two scores, but too many drives ended with field goals instead of touchdowns early on. The Mountaineers should’ve put the game well out of reach early on, but they were always in control. With Norfolk State up next, the O gets another game to tune up before going to Maryland and getting to deal with LSU. The running game didn’t work against Marshall, and it’s not going to work against LSU; this season is all about Smith.  

The 2011 Recruiting  Class Is Heavy On … Defensive backs. While all the talk about the coaching changes helped bring in offensive stars who want to be a part of the Dana Holgorsen attack, led by running backs Andrew Buie and Vernard Roberts and receivers Dante Caldwell and K.J. Myers, but the defense got the best all-around talents with JUCO transfer Shaq Rowell ready to roll right away at defensive tackle and linebacker Joshua Francis a strong JUCO transfer who’ll be used in a variety of ways. Safeties Terrell Chestnut, Shaquille Petteway, and Nick Kwiatkoski are all going to be factors in the next three years.

Five West Virginia Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. S Shaquille Petteway
6-1, 200, Scout.com’s 44th ranked safety

2. CB Terrell Chestnut
A quarterback for his Pottsgrove team, Chestnut projects to another position on the field whether it be defensive back or wide receiver. He is an excellent runner with the ball, showing a great change of direction and very good top end speed. He has good size for a corner or slot receiver. Should he end up on defense, he could still make an impact with the ball in his hands as a return man

3. RB Andrew Buie
5-10, 192, Scout.com’s 49th ranked running back recruit

4. LB Jared Barber
Four-year starter who helped lead Davie to a record of 27-24, including a 9-7 mark in 2010 and an appearance in the North Carolina 4A state championship game … SuperPrep North Carolina Top 40 … Scout.com Top 50 middle linebacker … finished career with 529 total tackles, 78 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks and one interception … finished 2010 season with 79 solo tackles, 43 assisted tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four pass breakups … also ran the ball 87 times for 400 yards, an average of 4.5 yards per carry and five touchdowns … had five double-figure tackle performances, including a season-high 21 tackles, including 12 unassisted against North Davidson in the regular season … collected 13 tackles, including six solo stops against North Davidson in the first round of the state playoffs … ran for a season-high 111 yards on 23 carries against Porter Ridge … three time all-Central Piedmont Conference … 2009 Central Piedmont Conference Defensive Player of the Year … also offered by NC State and Wake Forest.

5. DE Kyle Rose
6-4, 235, Scout.com’s 68th ranked defensive end

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
K.J. Myers WR 6-2 185 Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast
Jared Barber LB 6-1 215 Mocksville, N.C./Davie
Dante Campbell WR 6-5 205 Clermont, Fla./East Ridge
Russell Haughton-James OL 6-6 280 Plantation, Fla./American Heritage
Nick Kwiatkoski S 6-2 215 Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park
Isaiah Bruce LB 6-2 215 Jacksonville, Fla./Providence
Dustin Garrison RB 5-8 165 Pearland, Texas/Pearland
Ben Bradley DL 6-3 275 Norcross, Ga./Norcross
Kyle Rose DE 6-4 240 Centerville, Ohio/Centerville
Brandon Jackson OL 6-4 320 Euclid, Ohio/St. Edward
Shaq Rowell DL 6-4 308 Maple Heights, Ohio/Iowa Western CC
Terrell Chestnut CB 6-0 177 Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove
Cody Clay TE 6-4 250 Alum Creek, W.Va./George Washington
Shaq Petteway LB 6-0 200 Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville
Marquis Lucas OL 6-4 310 Miami, Fla./Miami Central
Justin Johnson OL 6-4 288 Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg
Andrew Buie RB 5-9 191 Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian