2009 West Virginia Mountaineers -- Will Bill Stewart Keep the Program on Track?

Trinity Hanson
WVU correspondent







When Rich Rodriguez abruptly abandoned WVU in December of 2007, he left a relatively intact program.


Patrick White, perhaps the countries most prolific QB of our time was still at the helm and even with the departure of Steve Slayton and Darius Reynaud, fans were confident that Bill Stewart could continue the winning tradition that Rich Rod had just began to enjoy.

The season didn't go quite as planned and Mountaineer fans had to settle for a Meineke Car Care bowl victory over UNC.

The 2009-10 season, the first without Pat White, will be head Coach Bill Stewart's true test under fire season.

The class of 2009 and its' importance to WVU cannot be overstated.

On Feb 4 2009, WVU signed 24 prospects to National Letters of Intent. This is a make or break class for Bill Stewart. On paper, this is WVU's best recruiting class in school history. Scout.com ranked this class 23rd nationally. In the last seven years, Scouts.com had ranked WVU from the 53rd in 2004, 18th in 2007 and 36th in 2008.

The class of 2007 (which was ranked 18th by Scouts.com) started with 26 signees but is already down 15 due to attrition.

This 2009 group has to live up to expectations and remain intact. If it can do that, Stewart's program will become successful. If this class fails, the Bill Stewart era will be short lived.

Key staff hires of the Bill Stewart era such as recruiting guru Doc Holliday are proving to be perfect matches for the new face of a beloved program.

Signing five offensive line players was crucial and Holliday is pleased with all of the recruits coming in. Geno Smith is going to become a well recognized name in the Big East along with Coley White, Bradley Starks and Jarrett Brown.

Running back recruits such as Shawne Alston, Daquan Hargett and fullback Chris Snook, along with receivers Deon Long, Tavin Austin, Stedman Bailey, Logan Heastie and Terrance Moore will be key to offense success.

Defensively, Tevita Finau, Dominik Davenport and Curtis Feigt will strengthen what was already a strong defensive line in 2008.

The 2009-10 will be the first full recruiting class for Coach Bill Stewart.

Lets hope it is as good on the field as it looks on paper.

The players are in camp, we're getting ready for Saturday afternoon tailgating, and our minds are turning to online betting!

That's right. It's time to put your money where your mouth is, and maybe win a little cash.

Let's hope it is as good on the field as it looks on paper!

Doesn't that make you want to bet online?