Recruiting never stops, even for those programs that might be facing a bit of drama.
Offensive lineman Chrisdasson Saint-Jean announced his pledge to the Mountaineer program on Monday morning, just two days after ÐÔÊӽ紫ý completed its season with a 24-19 win on the road over Oklahoma State. The next steps for ÐÔÊӽ紫ý are to identify its new athletic director and then make a decision on the status of head coach Neal Brown, but Saint-Jean apparently followed the old-school path of committing to a school and not a particular person.
He is the fourth offensive lineman in the class of 2023, joining Cooper Young (6-5, 280 lbs., Downingtown West HS \ Downingtown, PA), Nick Krahe (6-5, 280 lbs., Harbor Creek Christian School \ Erie, PA) and Johnny Williams IV (6-6, 300 lbs., Northeast HS \ Macon, GA) in the class.
A 6-7, 310-pound tackle, Saint-Jean plays at Evans High School, where he displays excellent speed for a blocker of his size. His drive blocking skills are unsurprisingly good, and from his spot on the right side of the line he often dominates his opponent, taking him multiple steps downfield.
Most high school linemen have more work to do in pass protection, and while Saint-Jean still will have to improve the power in his punch and contact, he shows good footwork and balance in getting into his pass protection stance. That's a good building block, and as he adds more refinement to his technique, he could develop into a solid exterior protector.
Like many linemen, he sometimes stands up a bit too quickly, and he often wins battles based on his superior size and strength. Against bigger and more prepared defensive ends and tackles, he'll have to marry more fundamentals to his natural physical gifts, but with his speed and mobility he should be able to get into position to use and work on those as his college career commences.
Saint-Jean had reported offers from Power 5 schools Purdue, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse and Indiana, along with Group of 5 tenders from East Carolina, Bowling Green, FAU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Marshall, Tulane, Western Kentucky and USF. He competed at a ÐÔÊӽ紫ý camp this summer and made a trip to see the Mountaineers play TCU in November.
With the commitment, now rates West Virginia's 2023 recruiting class as the 35th-best in the nation, with two four-star prospects (receivers Rodney Gallagher and Traylon Ray) and the remainder in the three-star category. That ranking places it sixth in the Big 12.
