The West Virginia Mountaineers added another round of high school and JUCO commits earlier this week on National Signing Day to fill out their recruiting class for 2025 -- amongst them were a trio of in-state natives from some of the biggest powerhouse programs in West Virginia high school football.
Leading the pack amongst the signees are Spring Mills High School quarterback Max Anderson. Fresh off a season leading the Cardinals to their first-ever WVSSAC State Championship Game appearance, the potential-laden signal caller went 69-for-108 passing with 1,078 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on the campaign. He also added 620 yards -- averaging over 11 yards per carry -- and 11 touchdowns rushing, demonstrating the type of dual-threat ability that WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez loves at the position.
We are thrilled to celebrate these incredible athletes as they take the next step in their academic and athletic journeys! Congratulations to Brayden Kirk and Max Anderson 🏈 #nationalsigningday @Max_Anderson24 @BraydenKirk66 pic.twitter.com/YyeaNQ1Dix
— Spring Mills Cardinal Football (@smcardsfb) February 6, 2025
“What made (WVU) the right choice for me was the way the coaches valued me. They showed that they really wanted me up there and talking to coach Rich Rod, he was telling me that he didn’t recruit me just to fill a roster spot, he recruited me to come up here and sees me as a starter one day if I work my butt off and do what I’m supposed to do,” Anderson told The Journal.
“It’s my opportunity to take, so I’ve got to go up there and work hard and we’ll see what happens. But, it’s just such a great opportunity to be up in Morgantown under such a great coaching staff and just great people in general.”
Joining him will be lineman Trevor Bigelow of Fairmont Senior High School -- Bigelow joins former Polar Bear alumni Zach Frazier, Dante Stills, and Darius Stills, who all played in the trenches at the powerhouse high school before moving onto WVU to play football.
📝 cue country roads. pic.twitter.com/6m96P92NyI
— Trevor Bigelow (@TrevorBigelow4) February 5, 2025
Bigelow was a four-year starter for the Polar Bears and competed on the 2021 and 2023 WVSSAC Class AA State Championship teams for the program. He was a first-team All-State defensive lineman in 2023 and a first-team All-State offensive lineman in 2024.
The final in-state native joining the Mountaineers is Carter Zuliani of Bridgeport High School, who a 6’6, 230-pound multi-sport athlete who played defensive line and tight end for the Indians in football -- this past season, Zuliani helped pace the program to a WVSSAC Class AAA State Championship. He tallied 27.5 tackles (12.5 TFL), 6 pass deflections, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 blocked kick, and was named first-team All-State selection along the defensive line.
Zuliani also hauled in 3 receptions for 74 yards and was a leading blocker on the highest-scoring offense in West Virginia high school football, which set new program records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2024.
Bridgeport’s Carter Zuliani signed his national letter of intent to play football for WVU. pic.twitter.com/AQHsaA8ryh
— Andrew Wilson (@Awilson1231) February 5, 2025
“That’s the offer I’ve been waiting for my whole football career,” Zuliani told Connect Bridgeport. “It’s something every West Virginia kid dreams of."
The trio join four out-of-state high school commits and three JUCO commits to finish out class from National Signing Day. They’re a part of a larger recruiting class that includes 31 transfer portal commits and 31 high school and JUCO commits, including five transfers (Cyrus Traugh, Jarod Bowie, Jacob Barrick, Wyatt Minor, Robby Martin) and two high school commits (Tyshawn Dues, Zah Jackson) that are also native sons of the state.