WVU Extends Offer to OL/DL Khaliel Rodgers - WVU Football, WVU Basketball, News - Mountaineer Sports

It may be early in the recruiting process for many high school juniors, but the West Virginia football team is making sure it gets in with its top prospects as soon as possible.

On Monday, Khaliel Rodgers had a conference call with WVU assistant coach Daron Roberts, head coach Dana Holgorsen, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and defensive coordinator Joe DeForest. They wanted to make sure he understood just how happy they would be to welcome him to the Mountaineers for the 2013 season.

"It feels great," Rodgers said Tuesday. "I feel like they're seeing the work I'm putting in and they see me as a great asset to the West Virginia football team."

Rodgers is listed at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds and has interest from WVU at both offensive guard and defensive tackle.

The junior at Red Lion Christian Academy (Del.) has a four-star rating according to Rivals.com and says that if he were to attend a school like West Virginia, he would have no issue letting the staff decide which side of the ball needs him most.

Based on his conversations with the coaches so far, he believes he understands why Roberts left a recent visit to his school and hurried back to Morgantown to share his film with Holgorsen.

"They talked about how aggressive I play and the nasty attitude when I play in a game," says Rodgers. "They definitely liked that and defensively, they like how I get after it."

Rodgers says his conversations with Coach Roberts, who he refers to as the team's defensive backs coach even though he spent the past season coaching wide receivers, have been the major factor in his interest in West Virginia.

"I fell in love with the coaches. I can't wait to get down there," he says. "I haven't been on campus yet, so once I get down there I'm looking forward to getting a feel for it. I've seen the team play in the Orange Bowl, that was a wonderful game and I just think it's a great school."

Along with the Mountaineers, Rodgers says he has offers from Temple, Connecticut, Maryland, Syracuse and Purdue.

He has no interest in speeding up the recruiting process and making a decision before he has seen all his options. He hasn't planned any official visits at this time but is planning to attend WVU's spring game on April 21 for an unofficial visit to campus.

Rodgers became aware on Tuesday of West Virginia's settlement with the Big East to begin its membership in the Big 12 Conference starting July 1, 2012 and that part of the equation is something he definitely considers to be positive for the Mountaineers.

"That's better competition [in the Big 12], so that's thumbs up even more because I'll be going up against better teams in a better conference, so that's all good," says Rodgers.

Even though he's still many months away from making a commitment and has nearly a year before he can sign anywhere, Rodgers is already planning out what he will be looking for when he takes his visits.

"The academics and the environment," he says. "The environment has to be just right for me and that includes the team, the school and everything. It just has to all fit right with me."

The Mountaineers are off to a strong start, but will have to hold on tight as more and more schools extend offers to a player who still has a year to prove why he is worthy of their scholarship.