Double Dip Of Defenders For WVU Football Recruiting

Double Dip Of Defenders For WVU Football Recruiting

One day after securing a commitment from dynamic edge defender Taurus Simmons, West Virginia grabbed a counterpoint to anchor the interior defensive line when Quay Mays of Northwest Community College followed through with a choice of the Mountaineers on Tuesday evening.

After weighing out my options I decided that West Virginia is going to my NEW HOWE‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/KzzzRdC90d

— Quay Mays (@mays_quay) July 9, 2019

The nephew of former West Virginia defensive back Alvoid Mays (1987-88) and a cousin  of former Florida State star Peter Warrick, Mays had 15 tackles in eight games during his redshirt freshman season with the Rangers in 2018. He also had two sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked kick, setting the stage for his 2019 redshirt sophomore season in which he has bee selected as a player to watch by JCGridiron.com.

“The best thing about Quay is that his effort is always 100%,” Northwest Mississippi defensive line coach Travis Macon told BlueGoldNews.com. “He is always doing what you ask him to do. Whatever his assignment is, holding a gap or whatever his responsibility is, he’s going to do it.”

That assessment is borne out by video of his first season at NMCC, which shows him working had to get off blocks and get to the ball on every snap. He also flashes some unexpected quickness, running down a couple of plays on the sideline after penetrating inside into the backfield.

With a stocky build (6-a, 290 lbs.) Mays is clearly suited for an interior spot on the defensive line, but an added bonus is that he has played both nose and tackle for the Rangers. After redshirting in 2017, he played mostly as a three technique (tackle) in 2018, but this year will move down to the nose.

Quay Mays Player Page     |     WVU Football Class of 202o Verbal Commitments

“We’re going to use him at both positions this year,” Macon said. “He’ll be a zero technique, but then in passing situations we’ll move him out so we can get a couple of tackles in the pass rush. As big as he is, he is good on the pass rush. He moves well. We do some of what West Virginia does [defensively], so he is well-suited to playing either position.”

Mays, who also had offers from Iowa State, North Carolina, Houston, Troy and several other schools, is on track to graduate in December. He will have two years of eligibility remaining after redshirting and playing two seasons at Northwest Mississippi.

Mays is the 12th commitment in West Virginia’s Class of 2020, and the first interior defensive lineman in the class.