MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez talked at length about the athleticism and the versatility the Mountaineers' 2007 recruiting class yesterday. And, he also talked about how each player might fit into his program.

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He then pointed out that players could still sign until April 1. And in the Mountaineers' case that's important.

While 25 players signed with West Virginia and the class is rated fairly high by most scouting services, one key player remains unsigned.

Noel Devine, a five-star running back from North Fort Myers High School, had committed to West Virginia earlier this week after also visiting Alabama and Florida. At the time it was viewed as a huge recruiting victory for Rodriguez, but Devine has since backed off his commitment and will take more time to make his decision. He might visit Florida State this weekend.

Devine, whose personal advisor is former Florida State and NFL star Deion Sanders, would have been the highest rated player in West Virginia's class and still might be. Although, he has not yet qualified academically and could be headed to prep school anyway. Devine is one of three high-profile players who committed to West Virginia but did not sign there.

The other two are running back Victor Anderson (Louisville, Ky), who signed with Louisville; and offensive lineman Rodney Hudson (Mobile, Ala.), headed to Florida State.

Said Rodriguez: "We can only comment on an unsigned player to confirm we are still recruiting him and we're still recruiting [Devine]. In general, we are pleased with where we are at. There is a lot of athleticism on both sides of the ball, and we addressed our needs with some big guys on both sides of the ball and we signed some outstanding quarterbacks as well."

Despite the last-minute recruiting losses, the Mountaineers class is ranked No. 2 in the Big East (behind Pitt) by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Scout has it ranked 25th nationally and Rivals 36th. According to Rivals, the Mountaineers landed three "four-star" players in defensive back Ellis Lankster (Mobile, Ala.), quarterback Brad Starks (Unionville, Va.) and Terence Kerns (Frederick, Md).

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Another player of note is quarterback/defensive back Brandon Hogan from Manassas, Va., whom Rodriguez said is one of the most versatile athletes he has ever recruited. Hogan, who was the offensive player of the year in Virginia in Class AAA, will play some quarterback at West Virginia, but will also get a chance to play receiver, defensive back and return kicks.

Two WPIAL players, both offensive linemen, signed with the Mountaineers. They with family ties to the program. Seneca Valley's Don Barclay's uncle, Al Pisula, was a WVU letterman in the 1970s; Seton-LaSalle's Gino Gradkowski has a cousin, Carmen Connolly, who is a current Mountaineers receiver.

Rodriguez said his top priority in recruiting was to increase the depth -- and thus the competition -- at defensive back. He ended up with nine defensive backs and two others listed as athletes who could wind up in the defensive backfield.

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WVU recruits (26)
Donny Barclay, Seneca Valley (OL, 6-4, 280); Asa Chapman, Fork Union, Va. (DL, 6-5, 340); Sidney Glover, Warren, Ohio (DB, 5-11, 200); Gino Gradkowski, Seton-LaSalle (OG-DL, 6-3, 290); Andrew Harris, St. Petersburg, Fla. (WR, 6-3, 190); Vince Harris, Cincinnati (LB, 6-2, 210); Brandon Hogan, Manassas, Va. (QB-WR-DB, 5-11, 160); Will Johnson, Centerville, Ohio (LB, 6-1, 190); Terence Kerns, Frederick, Md. (RB, 6-0, 208); Derek Knight, Detroit, Mich. (DB, 6-0, 192); Ellis Lankster, Ellisville, Miss. (DB, 5-10, 195); Kyrus Lanxter, Alcoa, Tenn. (WR, 6-2, 175); Junius Lewis, Morgantown (DT, 6-0, 278); Charles Matthews, Solon, Ohio (WR, 5-10, 165); Julian Miller, Columbus, Ohio (DE, 6-4, 203); Evan Rodriguez, North Bergen, N.J. (DB, 6-2, 211); Charlie Russell, Morgantown, W.Va. (QB, 6-3, 215); Jock Sanders, St. Petersburg, Fla. (RB, 5-6, 170); P.J. Shirdan, Drexel Hill, Pa. (WR, 6-0, 185); Eain Smith, Hollywood, Fla. (DB, 5-11, 177); Chad Snodgrass, Nitro, W.Va. (OL, 6-3, 302); Bradley Starks, Orange, Va. (QB, 6-4, 180); Keith Tandy, Hopkinsville, Ken. (QB-DB, 5-10, 175); Kendall Washington, Canton, Ohio (RB-WR-LB, 6-1, 187); Anthony Wood, Scranton, Pa. (DB, 6-0, 190).