Keenan Cummings of WVSports.com (Yahoo Sports), a must read for Mountaineer Football Recruiting

Keenan Cummings aka (KENO) does most of the recruiting related posts on WVSports.com.  He was a Graduate of the West Virginia School of Journalism and has been passionate about Mountaineer Sports all of his life.  I have found his information to be both entertaining and informative.  If he makes a call on a recruit it usually is spot on.  He has been proven a reliable source of information.  I simply will not post a recruiting commitment on here, until I see that he has first confirmed it.  I don't need to be first on this blog but I do like to be accurate.  Keenan's information is reliable and accurate.  He develops the relationships with the players and coaches and utilizes those relationships to make analyze talent and make calls on commitments.  I don't think that your reading is complete in this arena as a Mountaineer fan until you have read what "KENO" has said. I did a Q and A with Keenan to discover a little more about where he is coming from.  It is as follows:

Da Geek:     From there to here what steps did you take to become a WVU recruiting beat guru?

Keenan:   Guru is a strong word, but seriously I've always had an interest in recruiting, especially West Virginia's efforts for as long as I can remember.  I've followed our recruiting for a long time and my interest has only grown over the years.  I graduated from West Virginia with a degree in news-editorial journalism and found a job at a newspaper right out of school. But I've always known my passion is in West Virginia sports, so when the opportunity arose I was both thrilled and excited. It was kind of like a dream come true for me. 

Da Geek:     Do you read other websites and blogs concerning WVU sports?

Keenan:   As a fan I try to keep an eye on what's going on elsewhere, but a lot of the information is from the networking and the relationships that you quickly build in this field. It definitely isn't the days of old just surfing the net to find out information. 

Da Geek:  Relationships with college athletes is key to closing the deal I would guess that is the same for recruiting networks?

Keenan:        This is the most important thing in the business, especially with recruiting.  The misconception is that just because you're in a position such as mine that these high school athletes will roll over to take a call from you.  That is just not the case. These kids are taking calls everyday and the process can often become overwhelming for them. It takes a lot of hard work and relationship building and you really get to know the kids and their families. And although I'm just asking them objective questions in interviews, its the times you talk to them about the everyday things going on in their lives such as they got a good grade in school or had a good game, that makes the interviews particularly rewarding. 

Da Geek:  I have been on the WVSports.com for what seems like forever and I have been very impressed with your work this summer.  Have you been enjoying yourself?

Keenan:   Thank you and that really does mean a lot to me when people say that, because that's what we do this for is the readers.  I'm loving life right now.  Like I said earlier, this is kind of a dream position for me at this point in my life, so I'm enjoying the opportunity to cover and provide news on the West Virginia Mountaineers.  Definitely working hard, and I've been busy, but I really enjoy what I'm doing. 

Da Geek:   What is your Twitter handle?  

Keenan:    WVSportsDotCom, that's the sites.  Do not have a personal one at this point.  

Da Geek:   Has Vernon Bailey been treating you well?

Keenan:     Vernon and I have a great relationship. We're either talking or bouncing ideas off each other everyday. We're both very excited about the direction of the site and are looking forward to continuing to bring the best coverage available.

Da Geek:     This summer you have spoken with (it seems like everybody) the recruits... who has really impressed you in terms of dedication and determination to bring a National Championship to Morgantown?  

 Keenan:     Really this might seem like the 'stock' answer, but all of our recruits have mentioned that as the ultimate goal.  Our commitments have been very energetic and are really excited about both the coaching staff and the direction of the West Virginia program.

Da Geek:     I have been really impressed with Coach Roberts this summer who on the coaching staff has been impressing you in terms of recruiting?

Keenan:     All of the coaches have been doing a great job building relationships and recruiting thus far. But two that have really impressed me are Robert Gillespie, and like you mentioned Daron Roberts.  All of these coaches targets go out of their way to mention the comfort level these coaches provide, and the family feel that they promote. 

Da Geek:     Do you see this class closing out at signing time as it seems to be opening at verbal time?

Keenan:       Yes, a big season will only aid that fact.  This class has the potential to be very successful, especially if the team has the success that's expected from it.

Thanks To Keenan for giving me some of your valuable time.  I should point out that WVSports.com has been a link from this site since its inception.  You may directly link to it from the link to the right.

Happy reading.... Let's Go Mountaineers!  
Da Geek