WVU Adds Kevin Thomas
As we wrote earlier this Summer, excitement for the Mountaineers’ Class of 2022 continues to build. With yet another blue-chip recruit for the class, WVU adds Kevin Thomas. Thomas hails from Neumann-Goretti in Philadelphia, home of running back Leddie Brown and recent commitment to this class, Raleigh Collins.
Only a Matter of Time
After adding its first blue-chip quarterback prospect out of high school in nearly a decade (in Nicco Marchiol), it was only a matter of time before Head Coach Neal Brown added a big-time receiver to the class. Thomas fits that bill. According to Rivals, he holds a four-star rating and is the 36th-best wideout in the Class of 2022. Thomas held offers from Michigan State, Texas A&M, and Florida, among many others. Ultimately, he chose WVU over Michigan State.
What Thomas Adds to WVU’s Class of 2022
Brown has been looking for a second receiver in his class since Jarel Williams committed earlier this year. He found his guy in Thomas.
Thomas’ highlight film, found here, shows a playmaking receiver. Dangerous in space, Thomas also has plus ball skills and isn’t afraid to fight for tough passes into traffic. Ultimately, he should be a great complement to other receivers like Sam Brown and Kaden Prather over the next several years.
With his height (six feet, three inches) and vertical leaping ability, Thomas has the ability to take the top off of defenses, opening space underneath. As a bonus, Thomas also offers another body to compete for kick and punt return duties.
Four-Star History at WVU
Some fans tend to scoff at the four-star potential offered by a high concentration of blue-chip talent. Last Word on Sports explained this earlier this Summer. While blue-chip potential does not guarantee success, having team and individual success is far more difficult without it. We won’t rehash that here, but it is worth the five-minute read. That said, over 60% of enrolling four-star recruits over the last decade-and-a-half offered significant production in Morgantown.
West Virginia has not typically concentrated a high number of blue-chip recruits in a single class or a series of classes. Thomas is the fourth, with at least one more expected (maybe three). And this does not include any rating bumps due to senior year film. We expect between one and three recruits to get such a bump this season. As a result, WVU could easily finish the class with between six to ten blue-chip recruits.
WVU’s average since 2003 has been three blue chips per class. Its most concentrated classes in the past have included five blue chips (this happened four times). Already, Brown has enrolled classes with four blue chips (2020) and five (2021). As four-star Thomas commits to WVU, make than the third successive class that exceeds the average.
It is indeed clear that Brown is building something special with this class.
