The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Detroit, what?

June 24, 2015 by Mike Casazza

I remember the first time I did yoga. Actually, the first time I decided I was going to do yoga. I don’t remember the exact words, but I clearly recall what I thought: This can’t be hard. Can’t. I’ll just do it.

So I did it and, holy moly, that was hard. Was. It was the worst part of P90X and it made me look forward to the other days in the cycle. Just brutal. But then I got the hang of it, and it got to be, well, I wouldn’t say easy, but it was enjoyable. Before long, I was getting something out of it.

I bring this to you today because JaJuan Seider is doing yoga.

Martell Pettaway, seemingly regardless of where you get your recruiting information from, is the No. 2-ranked running back in Michigan, where the late fall is prime time for running backs, and somewhere among the top 25 or 30 in the nation. More importantly, he’s from Detroit. In the fall, he’ll play for what should be a talented team at Martin Luther King High, which scoops up the kids from downtown and midtown, from Lafayette Park to the riverfront and points between. Pretty good players there. Pettaway is not the best — not in Detroit, not in his school — but that’s not the point.

WVU does not recruit Detroit. Does not. I count one signee in the past 25 years, and pardon yourself for not remembering once-lettered safety Derek Knight in the 2007 class. It’s not in WVU’s backyard or shadow. It’s not been of interest for the Mountaineers. But when JaJuan Seider started targeting for the 2016 class, he either underlined Pettaway or Detroit, or both, and decided he had to make this happen. It was bold as hell — and let’s not forget Seider admittedly had some swings and misses in the 2015 class — so a celebration is understandable.

I don’t want to overplay this, but I don’t want you to miss it, either: A Big 12 school just plucked one of the best players out of Detroit despite having no presence in a Big Ten hotbed and no momentum toward the eventual outcome.

Here are his junior highlights from South Lake High. He’s since transferred to MLK. That part about how Pettaway isn’t the best on his team? That title probably belongs to uncommitted receiver Donnie Corley, who has a Morgantown visit planned (we’ll see…) to learn more about his scholarship offer from WVU.

That would be a stunner, but the Mountaineers are making a name and some friends in the area, including Rising Stars Recruiting, which is headed up by a former high school coach in Detroit. The Rising Stars brought a bunch of players to WVU for a camp over the weekend and one, who happens to be a nice little slot prospect with an affinity for Tavon Austin, came away with an MVP trophy.

Does WVU eventually land either of those receivers or (m)any of the players who came to camp over the weekend? We don’t know, but this was going to be hard. And now, well, it’s not easy, but it’s already enjoyable and Seider is starting to get something out of it.