West Virginia landed a big commitment on Friday in four-star linebacker Josiah Trotter. The Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's standout had plenty of other offers to choose from but the Mountaineers won him over with their consistent contact and the opportunity to be an early contributor on the field.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS...
"One of the biggest things with the Mountaineers is that I fit well in their scheme," Trotter said. "I can see coming in and playing right away and I feel like I can make the most plays there.
"I have a good relationship with Koonz and we've been keeping in contact the whole way, really the whole coaching staff," he said. "I really liked talking to coach Brown too. I felt the love from them when I went down there and it felt like home. The whole entire and system and the campus I love.
"Being able to come in and be a leader and make difference in that defense was big for me," said Trotter. "I want to make plays in the middle of the defense as a run-stopper and help make plays against the pass in that zone defense that they play.
"It's pretty cool to see players like JT Daniels come there from the portal," he said. "The team is getting more and more players from the high school ranks so it's pretty cool to see.
"I'll be taking my official visit there June 3rd-5th," Trotter said. "We'll probably go back for another visit too.
RIVALS' REACTION...
Trotter is a prototypical inside linebacker much like his father, Philadelphia Eagles great Jeremiah Trotter. He does a great job quickly reading plays and filling running lanes. Trotter has plenty of strength to fend off offensive linemen as they try to slow him down and is a very physical tackler. He does a good job leading the defense and makes sure his teammates are is lined up correctly. While style is something the Mountaineers have been looking to add to their defense, it's important that he arrives in great physical shape and has the ability to adjust quickly to the speed of the college game. A lot of credit to West Virginia's coaching staff for staying on Trotter and making sure that their consistency throughout this recruitment didn't go unnoticed.