Mountaineers Secure Gallagher
For the second straight season, the West Virginia Mountaineers find themselves with early recruiting momentum. After landing Josiah Trotter a few weeks ago, WVU received a recent surprise when top target Rodney Gallagher pushed up his recruiting announcement from July 5 to May 25. Moments ago, we confirmed that the Mountaineers secure Gallagher as the latest addition to their Class of 2023.
WVU Restocking the Shelves
Sometimes, schools reload; sometimes, they rebuild. When Head Coach Neal Brown took over for the West Virginia Mountaineers after the 2018 season, he faced the latter. When he touched down in Morgantown, he inherited a team that lost 85% of its offensive production and 70% of its defensive production. Since he arrived, he lost most Dana Holgorsen era holdovers to the transfer portal. He has used the transfer portal and high school recruiting tools to build a team to execute his vision: a speedy defense that can confuse with multiple looks to support a rebuilding offense.
In the last three recruiting cycles, Brown and his staff have executed their vision exceedingly well on defense. The offense has taken longer to rebuild. With the last few cycles, however, West Virginia looks to serve up an offense worthy of the defensive execution from the last two seasons. So far this offseason, so good on adding to the coffers. Gallagher offers the Mountaineers one of their most versatile athletes in the last decade.
What Can’t He Do?
From Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, Gallagher has been a two-sport star. On the hardwood, he averaged nearly 19 points a game his junior year. He once held several Power Five basketball offers since withdrawn once he announced his focus on football.
In his first two seasons on the gridiron, Gallagher averaged nearly 19 yards per reception while accumulating 791 yards on 42 catches. He also ran the ball 103 times for 556 yards (netting nearly five-and-a-half yards per carry). In total, he hit pay dirt 15 times in those first two seasons.
Last season, he added dual threat-quarterback to his repertoire, accounting for 33 total touchdowns and 2,495 yards in 12 games. He also returns kicks and punts at a clip of about 20 yards per return. Did we mention, he accounted for five interceptions and 102 over three seasons as a cornerback.
Gallagher’s speed shows up in multiple ways, but so do his instincts. He possesses plenty of both, and those talents should lend themselves to a successful career as a wide receiver in West Virginia’s rejuvenated offense.
Offers Abound
Gallagher enters the class as a composite four-star, with a grade of 0.9539 per 247Sports’ composite rankings. Internally, 247 rates him within their top 100 high school prospects. All three services assign him a four-star rating. Gallagher has the skill set and potential to earn a five-star rating by the end of the cycle, though he has a steep climb in front of him.
Gallagher held offers from at least 19 other Power Five schools. Notre Dame and Penn State proved the closest suitors, but his connections to Morgantown helped sway the decision. Morgantown will soon welcome another big piece of the puzzle as the Mountaineers secure Gallagher.
