Tremayne McNair Has WVU Offer
Tremayne McNair's list of offers continues to grow after the Mountaineers threw their name in the hat on Tuesday.
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By Geoff Coyle for wvillustrated.com
March 4, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - So here’s a story about a young man named Tremayne McNair. Let’s begin by stating that his name is not Tremain Mack. I repeat: he has nothing to do with the 1996 WVU-Miami game.
Now that I’ve provided the disclaimer, let’s find out why he does have something to do with the 2011 Mountaineers. On Tuesday, the current WVU coaching staff decided to offer him a scholarship to join them in Morgantown following his senior season.
He’s a big, speedy linebacker from White Oak High School in North Carolina, and he says he was not at all expecting the offer from the folks in gold and blue. McNair was in his weight lifting class when he found out the news.
“My coach heard the phone ring during weight training and he told me it was the coach from West Virginia and they wanted to offer me,” McNair told wvillustrated.com.
So, naturally, the next chance he got to call back to the WVU football offices, he took it. He says it was a brief conversation, but it was to the point. The Mountaineers think he’s got what it takes to succeed at West Virginia University.
“It went pretty well,” he says. “They showed they had a lot of interest in me. They had seen some of my film and they liked what they saw.”
What they likely enjoyed seeing on that film was the fact that McNair has proven to be a rangy athlete who can cover extremely well for his position while still possessing that all-important quality in any linebacker.
“I like to hit, so that’s always a good thing at my position.”
McNair says his surprise when he got the offer from West Virginia was quickly replaced by joy as he thought about the possibilities of playing for the Mountaineers.
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Growing up in North Carolina, he had always been a fan of UNC, and as it stands the Tar Heels represent one of his many offers. He also says he has enjoyed trips to the campus of Duke, despite their being such a rival of his childhood favorite. Still, he has not limited himself to playing for one of those two. In fact, he doesn’t mind where he goes as long as it’s right for him.
“I want to find a good school that fits me well,” he says. “I don’t care if that’s out of state or in state. I try to look outside football. I want to see good academics and see if my mom and my family like it.”
McNair’s familiarity with West Virginia comes from the recent successes in the program rather than any Mountaineer traditions.
“I’ve seen them play a few times with Pat White and Noel Devine and Steve Slaton and guys like that. I watched them.”
He liked what he saw. He recognizes the opportunities presented by playing in the BIG EAST as one of the legitimate contenders for a BCS game year in and year out. It is with this in mind that McNair says when the time comes to take his official visits, he anticipates making a stop in Morgantown to see the West Virginia campus.
“I’d like to check it out,” he says. “They play good teams in the BIG EAST; I like that conference. They seem to have a good program. I’d like to play for a championship one day and I want to be at a place where that could happen for me.”
Sounds like Tremayne McNair and the Mountaineers are looking for the same thing. Time will tell if they can set off on their quest for a title together.
