Kwantel Raines could be down to Pitt, WVU football

One of the hottest names in high school football these days is Kwantel Raines of Aliquippa High School.

Kwantel Raines and his Quips are rolling this season to an undefeated record as well as a defensive shutout streak. According to MaxPreps, Aliquippa has not allowed a point to the opposition in the past four games. The team sports a 7-0 record heading into this week against another unbeaten team in Ohio River rival Quaker Valley.

Kwantel Raines is a standout safety on the team and helps pace this nearly-perfect defensive unit. The only game Aliquippa allowed the other team to score this season was a Week 3 contest against Beaver. Last week, Raines and his team punished one of the other top schools in Western Pennsylvania, Clairton, by a score of 28-0.

The Quips are hot, and so is stock in Kwantel Raines. The safety is considered a four-star prospect by Scout.com and the site ranks him as the second-best safety in the East. The first thing to notice about Raines is his size. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he is strong and big. He also adds speed and good hands while leading the secondary.

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He has been a sure-fire Division I prospect for the past three years and now his recruiting trail is coming into brighter focus. Over the summer, he released his top schools, which include locals in the WVU football team, Pitt and Penn State. Also on his list are Kentucky, Florida, Maryland and South Carolina.

According to PGH Sports Now, Raines has visited the local schools frequently and it’s likely that his decision will come down to West Virginia, Pitt and Penn State. A lot of the recruiting experts say that Pitt and WVU are the frontrunners. A composite ranking on 247sports has Kwantel Raines as a 40 percent chance he’ll go to Pitt and 30 percent that he’ll join the WVU football team.

The Mountaineers have an advantage over the others because of defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. He has already attracted some top talent from Aliquippa, namely Dravon Askew-Henry. That impact can’t be ignored because Kwantel Rainers really could be the next Askew-Henry if he comes to Morgantown.

Raines fits in nicely in the defensive schemes. And, things could look different in the coming years because Gibson and his staff has not been opposed to changing things up by switching personnel.

The most recent news on Kwantel Raines comes from Mike White of the Post-Gazette. He said several times in his weekly chat with readers that West Virginia and Pitt seem to be the hottest programs on his short list.

Next: 30 best games in WVU football history

If early playing time and joining a competitive team are big points for Kwantel Raines, he should be looking to join the WVU football team.