ESPN Drops West Virginia In Post-Signing Day Way-Too-Early Top 25

Feb 13, 2018

ESPN Drops West Virginia In Post-Signing Day Way-Too-Early Top 25

Apparently ESPN is not a huge fan of the work Dana Holgorsen did on National Signing Day as ESPN drops West Virginia out of the top ten in their post-signing day way-too-early top 25 rankings.

Mark Schlabach dropped West Virginia from 10th to 13th in his latest poll. The three spot drop came between the end of the season and National Signing Day.

While the Mountaineers had a shot at three four-star recruits and whiffed all three, could that really be why Schlabach dropped the Mountaineers? Safety Marlon Character Jr. and cornerback Jairus Brents both opted for Louisville and defensive tackle Emmit Gooden who chose the Tennessee Volunteers over the Mountaineers.

Here is what the article had to say about the Mountaineers, per ESPN.com:

Previous Way-Too-Early rank: 10
2017 record: 7-6, 5-4 Big 12
Returning starters: seven offense, seven defense, two special teams

Key losses: RB Justin Crawford, WR Ka’Raun White, G Kyle Bosch, LB Al-Rasheed Benton, LB Elijah Battle, S Kyzir White, CB Mike Daniels Jr.

Outlook: West Virginia looks like Oklahoma’s biggest threat in the Big 12 this coming season, with quarterback Will Grier and All-American David Sills Vreturning for their senior seasons. If Grier stays healthy, the Mountaineers should be among the most explosive offenses in the country.

The question is whether West Virginia’s defense will improve. The Mountaineers added No. 21 defensive end Dante Stills, No. 16 safety Kwantel Raines, juco linebacker Charlie Benton and former Ohio State cornerback Josh Norwood to try to shore up that side of the ball.

The Mountaineers open the season against Tennessee in Charlotte, and they play Kansas State, TCU and Oklahoma at home in Big 12 play.

Maybe Schlabach realized that No. 10 was a little too high given the way West Virginia finished the season and their final record of 7-6. Sure that record could have been a game or two better without the Grier injury, but a No. 10 ranking is very lofty given the way last season went.

There were a few mild disappointments in the recruiting class, but no other team dropped as many spots as the Mountaineers did (three).

Ultimately this poll means absolutely nothing, but we’ll write about football anytime we get the chance.