West Virginia lands 4-star WR to highlight 2024 recruiting class

Ric’Darious Farmer committed to three schools during the past year. West Virginia was the final, and official, one.

The four-star wide receiver from Melbourne Central Catholic in Florida signed a letter of intent with West Virginia on Wednesday, part of a 22-player class for the Mountaineers.

“Day Day” Farmer (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) is the lone four-star recruit in West Virginia’s class. Farmer, a two-time all-state selection and the nation’s 45th-ranked wide receiver by ESPN, made a verbal commitment to Pitt last December but switched in August to UCF.

West Virginia coaches continued to pursue him up until national signing day.

“He’s been really productive. He’s a great kick returner,” WVU coach Neal Brown said. “He has to gain weight, but he’ll play early for us.

“He’ll start in the slot. If you look back from about 2007 on, we’ve had really good success with slots, some really highly productive people.”

Brown also highlighted West Virginia’s success in landing “local” recruits. Sixteen of the 22 players signed Wednesday attended high schools within six hours of Morgantown.

“I’ve got a much better feel for who we can get and what’s the right fit,” said Brown, who is 30-29 over five seasons at WVU. “You’ve got to recruit a big area here. I think that you can get spread too thin if you’re not careful. It takes a little while to get the right people in the right areas. There’s still some areas we need to work on. It’s been a learning process. We’re getting closer to what we need to be.”

One of those local players is the lone WPIAL representative, Bishop Canevin’s Jason Cross, a 6-1, 171-pound defensive back who was a three-year starter. Also a quarterback and wide receiver, Cross was a three-time all-conference safety who helped the Crusaders win the 2021 WPIAL Class A title. This season, he recorded 41 solo tackles and 18 assisted tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 528 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

“We really like his body control,” Brown said. “We think he’s going to fill out and be a safety here.”

The Mountaineers landed three in-state players, including linebacker Curtis Jones Jr. from Cabell Midland.

“I think he might be the best football player overall in the state (West Virginia) as a senior,” Brown said of Jones. “He was really good. He played running back there. We project him to be a linebacker. I think he’s got a huge, huge upside.”

Wide receiver Dom Collins from Princeton, W.Va., and athlete Keyshawn Robinson from Jefferson (W.Va.) also signed.

“I always felt like if you can have 20-25 scholarship players who are West Virginia products, then that meant a little over a quarter of your roster understood what the program meant to the state,” Brown said. “They can really not only set the standard but also communicate how important it is to our state and who we represent.”

Seven players will enroll in January: DB Israel Boyce, DL Nate Gabriel, DB Zae Jennings, DL Elijah Kinsler, OLB Obinna Onwuka, TE Jack Sammarco and QB Khalil Wilkins.

“Huge day for our program,” Brown said. “Our plan is to build our roster through high-level high school student-athletes, develop them and then retain them. For most of these signees, this is a two-plus year process. It truly takes a village.”

West Virginia recruits

Name, Previous school, Pos., Ht./Wt., Stars (Rivals)

Kyle Altuner, Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.), OL, 6-3/290, 3 stars

Lucas Austin, Sterling (Ill.), OL, 6-6/270, 2 stars

Israel Boyce, Douglas County (Ga.), DB, 5-11/180, 3 stars

Makai Byerson, Manchester (Va.), DL, 6-4/270, 3 stars

Dom Collins, Princeton (W.Va.), WR, 5-10/160, 0 stars

Jason Cross Jr., Bishop Canevin, DB, 6-1/171, 3 stars

Trae’von Dunbar, Midland Valley (S.C.), RB, 5-10/205, 3 stars

Ric’Darious Farmer, Melbourne Central Catholic (Fla.), WR, 5-11/165, 4 stars

Nate Gabriel, Auburndale (Fla.), DL, 6-4/295, 3 stars

Christopher Henry, Dunnellon (Fla.), DB, 6-0/190, 3 stars

Diore Hubbard, Gahanna Lincoln (Ohio), RB, 5-11/185, 3 stars

Zae Jennings, Winton Woods (Ohio), DB, 6-1/185, 3 stars

Curtis Jones Jr., Cabell Midland (W.Va.), LB, 6-2/210, 3 stars

Elijah Kinsler, Bergen Catholic (N.J.), DL, 6-3/260, 3 stars

Obinna Onwuka, C.H. Flowers (Md.), OLB, 6-4/235, 3 stars

Brandon Rehmann, St. Joseph’s Prep, WR, 6-0/190, 3 stars

Keyshawn Robinson, Jefferson (W.Va.), ATH, 6-0/175, 3 stars

Jack Sammarco, Anderson (Ohio), TE, 6-6/240, 3 stars

Justin Terry, Pickerington Central (Ohio), OL, 6-6/330, 2 stars

Keyon Washington, Saint Charles (Md.), DB, 6-1/175, 3 stars

Khalil Wilkins, Wise and Riverdale Baptist (Md.), QB, 6-3/195, 3 stars

Rickey Williams, Archbishop Hoban (Ohio), LB, 6-2/230, 3 stars