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Post- spring ball, West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen is still trying to find a suitable replacement for the recently departed Geno Smith, who set a slew of school offensive records. Ford Childress, Paul Millard, heck even incoming freshman Chavas Rawlins could be the guy starting against the mighty William and Mary Tribe on August 31st.
Obviously, in situations like this, you want to keep adding numbers until you find your guy. Which is precisely the reason the ‘Neers were going so hard after quarterback William Crest, an incredibly talented dual-threat athlete in the 2014 recruiting class.
Crest, from the prestigious Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland, is picking the Mountaineers over Ohio State, Maryland and North Carolina. He’s the second member of the Mountaineers’ class of 2014, joining wide receiver Ricky Rogers, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
There’s an awful lot to like about Crest. He’s unbelievably athletic, and has all the physical skills you could possibly need. He’s got fantastic arm strength, especially when he steps into his deep balls. He’s got good poise in the pocket, and uses keen awareness in predicting its collapse. He’s a smooth and fluid runner with the ball in his hands, and has experience playing both under center and in a shotgun while at Dunbar.
Yes, Crest has a lot of work to do mechanically, but Holgorsen before has worked more magic on far less talented athletes.
The bottom line is he’s a perfect fit for this spread-vary offense. This is an offense that uses multiple sets: a little pro-set, a little pistol, a little shotgun, a little read-option, a little west coast, etc. This offense dabbles in everything, which is part of the reason it’s so remarkably effective. But to quarterback this offense, you have to be incredibly athletic and versatile yourself, one of the reasons Smith ran it so well. Crest can run this offense.
Holgorsen always puts a very high emphasis on speed and athleticism in his prospects, and Crest is just further proof of that.
Rick Stavig is a National Recruiting Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on google.
