MORGANTOWN -
DeShawn Coleman was always high on West Virginia football,
but on Saturday, he made his interest official by pledging a verbal commitment
to the Mountaineers coaching staff.
Following the WVU Gold-Blue Spring Game, Coleman, a 6-foot,
170-pound running back met with a few coaches in Dana Holgorsen's office and
let him know that he had seen enough and would like to join them in the 2013
season.
"I like the academics, the coaching staff and I think it's a
good fit for me in their offense," Coleman said Saturday evening.
Earlier in the spring, two coaches from Coleman's Hickory
High School (Penn.) accompanied him on his visit to Morgantown. Walt Nogay and
Ross Gargano said then that they believed unless something changed drastically,
Coleman would commit on April 21. Turns out they were right.
His head coach knew West Virginia was the right fit for
quite some time.
"I think one of the things that the coaches have seen and
DeShawn have seen is really how they treat people down here," says Hickory head
coach Bill Brest. "They treated him really well and that was something that was
very important that we've seen with DeShawn."
In conversations with Coleman's recruiting coach, Steve
Dunlap, and running backs coach Robert Gillespie, Brest says his prized rusher was
made to feel as though his commitment would make a significant impact on the
future of the West Virginia football program.
Coleman's commitment came down to more than just what he
would accomplish on the field.
"DeShawn's really excited about being able to get an
outstanding education down there at West Virginia, we're really looking forward
to that and he's excited to play in an outstanding offensive system and for an
outstanding coach," says Brest.
Coleman also held offers from Penn State and Purdue. The
Mountaineers won out for a variety of reasons.
"From a football standpoint, we were talking about their
speed offensively and DeShawn has that speed," says Brest. "DeShawn can get
north and south right away and he feels really comfortable about this system
that they're in and he's excited about seeing them play tonight."
Coleman becomes one of the first prospects to commit for the
2013 class and he was joined in his commitment by New Jersey offensive lineman
Marcell Lazard, a 6-foot-6, 293-pound tackle with numerous offers.
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