Mountaineers Add Prather
Last week, Kaden Prather reaffirmed his long-standing verbal commitment to the West Virginia football program in this tweet. As a result, the delivery of his signed letter of intent amounts to little surprise. Nonetheless, his addition is certainly welcomes as the Mountaineers add Kaden Prather to their 2021 recruiting class, that we last previewed here.
Prather is a solid four-star receiver from Germantown, Maryland. Heavily-recruited through the entire cycle, he received offers from over twenty-five Power 5 programs, including Oklahoma, Alabama, and Ohio State. Yet his close connection with Offensive Coordinator Gerad Parker carried the day.
Prather represents one of two top-250 recruits secured in the Mountaineers’ recruiting class, and he will be a welcome addition in a position group that saw its share of criticism over the last two seasons. Nationally, Prather ranks as the 39th-best receiver in the 2021 class, but his ceiling appears higher.
Prather’s Skill Set
Prather has deceptive speed. His highlight reels demonstrate decisiveness in his footwork with next-level burst that allows him to create space regularly. Indeed, his confirmed shuttle time would already put him in the middle-of-the-pack among NFL wideouts. As Mountaineer fans know, size at wide-out comes at a premium, and Prather offers that. Standing at 6’3, 210 pounds, Prather will enter the locker room as one of biggest wideouts on the team.
Indeed, Head Coach Neal Brown has added an emphasis on recruiting bigger-bodied receivers, and for good reason. He asks his receivers to win more one-on-one battles than they do now, and receivers like Prather with solid vertical-leaping, strength, and a height advantage over most Big 12 cornerbacks help that cause. Prather offers that package.
Prather is also a surprisingly effective return specialist given his size. While he may not be asked to contribute in the return game at the next level, that skill set is something worth watching as Prather develops. Regardless, we welcome him to Morgantown and look forward to his development.
