T.J. Ivy looked at Dana Holgorsen and told the West Virginia head coach that he wanted to play football for the Mountaineers in 2018. Holgorsen, ecstatic but noticeably surprised, asked the three-star tight end if he should record the verbal commitment with a pen or pencil.
"Pen", said Ivy.
Ivy is a 6-foot-5, 217-pounder from Marist High School in Chicago. He is the 61st-ranked tight end in the 2018 class (247Sports) and only needed one visit to Morgantown to know it was the perfect fit. After touring campus on Thursday and speaking with coaches — among them Holgorsen and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital — he picked the Mountaineers over Iowa, Purdue and others.
"They provide any[thing] and everything I could need academically and athletically," Ivy told HERO Sports. "The offense . . . is something completely different and would utilize my skill set. I would be placed in multiple positions without having to substitute players in and out of he game, which is very deadly when it comes to creating matchups."
He is the second tight end commit for West Virginia, joining Mike O'Laughlin of nearby Oak Park, Ill. O'Laughlin, also a 6-foot-5 three-star prospect, committed on April 22 and was pumped about Ivy's decision.
We just getting started https://t.co/RkNc54vKtn
— Mike O'Laughlin (@mikeolaughlin3) June 23, 2017
Their 2018 class now features six players and ranks 68th nationally and ninth in the Big 12, though that could improve as they pursue three four-star players — safeties Isheem Young and Kwantel Raines and defensive tackle Dante Stills — all of whom have West Virginia among their finalists.
Ivy speaks highly of the coaching staff's vision and their use of an evolving tight end position, something he believes plays into his skill set.
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"The position has basically evolved into a receiver who I would say is definitely more physical and can come in and block at the same time," he said. "I truly feel that I have embraced this position and I have been studying trying to better myself every day."
Though Ivy's pen vs. pencil comment speaks for itself, he made it very clear he intends to remain committed to the Mountaineers.
"I plan on being committed and true to the West Virginia program."
Here's a look at the newest Mountaineer:
Be the one they always remember.
: @itsIBIFIRI pic.twitter.com/8a40JztRhN
— TJ IVY™ (@tjivy30) June 8, 2017