WVU hosting top prep athletes

Andrew J. Beckner
Sportswriter

Friday May 20, 2005

Tony Gibson must need the competition.

Why else would West Virginia University's defensive backs coach be eager to see a high school wideout run routes, catch passes and get timed in the 40, all at an event where he's not even allowed to talk one-on-one with the kid?

For one reason -- and let's face it -- WVU's receiving corps has seen better days. Heck, maybe Gibson is looking to replace Vaughn Rivers, who has been moved back and forth between his spot in Gibson's unit to a wideout, partly because of depth concerns in the receiving corps.

And that's where a guy like Nitro's Chris Fulmer comes in.

Fulmer is one of 400-plus would-be Division I-A football players on their way to Morgantown today for the PrepStar Magazine College Football Combine at the WVU football facilities on Saturday.

"I heard about it from the (WVU) coaches during a recruiting visit," said Fulmer, a standout wide receiver for the Wildcats.

Gibson went one step further, Fulmer said. The coach sent Fulmer a handful of literature on the combine.

"He told me they wanted to watch me run around a little bit," Fulmer said. "I'm hoping to impress the coaches."

The feeling is mutual. WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez wants to be impressed. Since neither he nor his staff is allowed to talk to the potential recruits, it's all he has to go on.

"We just hope that there will be a young man or two that will help out our program," Rodriguez said.

That's exactly what the PrepStar combine is all about. It's a chance for D-I hopefuls to show their stuff and for coaches to watch it happen. It's one of many such events that take place all over the country and organizers hope it will grow into a must-see event.

But for now, it's nothing more than a chance for WVU to get an edge in the brutal battle for quality recruits. It's no surprise, then, that Rodriguez views having an event like this in Morgantown as a big bonus.

"One of the big selling points for us is to get (a potential recruit) to visit our campus," he said. "We think we've got a beautiful facility and a beautiful school and have a lot to offer in that respect. But we have to have them on campus to see that."

Mission accomplished.

Rodriguez is hoping that the exposure to WVU's facilities will stay in the back of a recruit's mind when he starts narrowing his choices.
Of course, coaches are realistic, especially at a first-year event like this one. Not every kid is a future All-American, no matter what they might think. Nor will everyone there be worth more than a small look.
But there always could be that hidden gem.

"If you just get one or two kids out of a combine that decide to take a closer look at your school," said Rodriguez, "then it's a bonus."


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Don't forget the guys like Fulmer, who aren't shoo-ins for Division I-A offers.

Not that he's specifically looking for that this weekend. No, this is just a chance to dip his toe in the D-I waters, something he's been doing a lot lately. He already has been to combines in San Antonio, Texas, and at Penn State.

But if he had his way, he'd be a Mountaineer. And Fulmer says WVU's lack of depth at wide receiver is one of the motivating factors for making the trip north today. He plans to hit the road right after school lets out.

"I want to show them I can play with anyone," he said. "Hopefully, I'll impress someone enough to get an offer (eventually)."

Maybe then Gibson will have his help.