West Virginia Football Recruiting: Joel Caleb Picks Virginia Tech Over WVU

Dana Holgorsen just turned in his first complete class as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, and there is some disagreement across the rating services just how good this class is.

Scout.com seems to think highly of the West Virginia class, particularly linebacker Sam Lebbie and Tyler Orlosky. Each player receives a four-star ranking and they put the entire class at No. 25 overall. Rivals on the other hand has both of those players as three-star talents, and the class as a whole is only ranked at No. 47 overall. The rest of the class is ranked similarly on both services, so the play of those two guys could dictate whether this is an average or below-average haul.

Click the link for more on National Signing Day 2012. For all your recruiting news, follow SB Nation's Recruiting Twitter feed, @SBNRecruiting. For complete college football coverage, please visit SB Nation's NCAA football hub. For more on this class and all thingsWVU football, check out the Smoking Musket.

West Virginia didn't get any surprise commitments today even though they were in the running for some prospects on National Signing Day. They did, however, receive a number of letters of commitment from players that have already committed to play for the Mountaineers. You can see the full list of commitments, including a little bit on each player in the class, here on West Virginia Illustrated.

The biggest names on that list are Sam Lebbie, Tyler Orlosky and Deontay McManus. Lebbie is a four-star inside linebacker, and he is also from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland which is consistently one of the best programs in the Mid-Atantic. Opening a pipeline with the new regime there could be crucial for the Mountaineers.

Orlosky is a four-star guard from St. Edwards high school in Lakewood, Ohio. Deontay McManus is four-star wide receiver prospect from Dunbar high school in Baltimore Maryland, which has been fertile recruiting ground for the Mountaineers over the last few years.

Click the link for more on National Signing Day 2012. For all your recruiting news, follow SB Nation's Recruiting Twitter feed, @SBNRecruiting. For complete college football coverage, please visit SB Nation's NCAA football hub. For more on this class and all things WVU football, check out the Smoking Musket.

Wide receiver Joel Caleb, a four-star recruit from Midlothian, Virginia, has picked Virginia Tech over WVU and Ohio State. He evidently did not explain his reasoning.

If you’re wondering, Joel Caleb didn’t explain his reasons for picking Virginia Tech over #OSU. It was just an announcement, didn’t take ?s.

Caleb recently visited WVU, but the Hokies were still the favorites to land him, so this comes as no surprise. SBNation.com describes Caleb’s talents:

At 6’2" and 210 pounds, Caleb is a special player. He plays quarterback and defensive back for Midlothian, but will likely play with the ball in his hands at the college level.

And for good reason. Caleb has excellent strength for his size. He possesses excellent short-area quickness and while he is not a speed merchant, he does reach top gear relatively quickly. Caleb has a good feel for the game, and his combination of fluidity and toughness makes him fun to watch.

As a nationally-ranked recruit with big upside, Caleb would have been a great get for West Virginia, but he also would have been a very surprising one.

For more on WVU football, check out the Smoking Musket.