West Virginia Adds Jaylen Anderson
After receiving his signed letter of intent, West Virginia adds Jaylen Anderson, a four-star all-purpose back to its 2021 recruiting class, which we last previewed here. Head Coach Neal Brown emphasized early in his tenure that his offense would rely more and more heavily on a power run game. Anderson adds a unique skill set with which Brown can work.
Anderson measures 6-foot, 205-pound. 247Sports ranks him as the sixth-best all-purpose back in the 2021 recruiting class. Anderson offers a team-first mentality, rotating position often during the course of a game. Indeed, his high school staff rotated him as the tailback, as an H-back, and out of the slot. He offers something at each position.
As a lead back, he uses a combination of patience, decisive cuts, and power to break long runs between the tackles. Out of the slot, he uses good hands and field awareness to carve out space. He uses his burst to turn that space into big yards. As an h-back, Anderson contributes as both a plus-level run and pass-blocker. There, he routinely uses his strength to gain leverage and spring his teammates for good gains.
The combination of skills makes Anderson a dynamic option for the Mountaineers. His strength and resulting ability to pile up yards through contact make him a capable option out of the backfield, especially if Leddie Brown enters the draft after this season.
Most of all, Anderson plays with a blue-collar mentality lending to his versatility as a playmaker. We welcome him to Morgantown and look forward to his development as an all-around athlete.
(Photo courtesy The Plain Dealer)
