An early enrollee has decided to take an early leave of the West Virginia football program, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting.
Citing Chavas Rawlins’ high school coach, the paper has confirmed that the quarterback will be transferring from the Mountaineers. It appears as though the departure of WVU assistant Jake Spavital played a significant role in the player’s departure.
“Everyone at West Virginia was great to him, but as you know he came in right when Jake left,” Monessen (Penn.) high school coach Andy Pacak told the Post-Gazette. “His initial decision was I’m gonna go down there and make the most of it, but that (loss of Spavital) weighed on him a little bit.”
Spavital, WVU’s quarterbacks coach the past two season, left in January for the same job at Texas A&M, plus the additional title of co-offensive coordinator. Rawlins’ decision also comes a couple of weeks after Clint Trickett transferred in from Florida State and entered the Mountaineers’ quarterback fray.
Rawlins, a three-star member of WVU’s 2013 recruiting class and the only QB signed this year by the Mountaineers, participated in spring practice as an early signee but did not play in the spring game as all of the reps went to Paul Millard and Ford Childress.
“Chavas has been getting reps in practice and slowly we’ve been moving him along, but obviously he’s got a long ways to go,” said head coach Dana Holgorsen after the spring game.
If Rawlins transfers to another FBS school -- there’s no early indication as to which direction he might be headed -- he would have to sit out the 2013 season but would retain all of his eligibility.