Like most kids in the state of West Virginia, Wes Tonkery grew up obsessed with West Virginia football and dreamed of one day suiting up for the Mountaineers. But unlike most, it actually came true for him.
Tonkery, a senior at nearby Bridgeport High, first began to hear from WVU’s coaching staff late in his sophomore season. Last summer he performed well while playing with teammates at a 7-on-7 event in Morgantown and was asked to an invitation-only camp the next day.
“That’s when they offered me,” said Tonkery, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete who plays safety and tailback for Bridgeport. “I accepted on the spot.”
Most of West Virginia’s recruiting efforts are focused in other states, such as Florida, Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania. So one might think that an in-state player earning a chance to become a Mountaineer might be overwhelming, but that’s not the case with Tonkery. He’s not in amazement of the position he’s in, one of which his peers can only dream.
“I guess a little bit” he said, “but I knew that if I worked hard enough, I’d be able to do it.”
UCLA, Tennessee, Ohio and Marshall were among the other schools interested in Tonkery, who’s never second-guessed his decision to be a Mountaineer. He was recruited to WVU by assistant Steve Dunlap, who coaches the team’s safeties -- the position Tonkery will play in college.
As a junior, Tonkery rushed for 1,379 yards and 20 touchdowns despite missing three games with an injury. In terms of his abilities, Tonkery said his strength is his ability to support in defending the run.
“I would say that I can come up and make tackles better than most safeties,” said Tonkery, an excellent student who plans to study engineering in college.
“He’s got good size and he runs a 4.6 40 [yard dash]. I think the speed caught their eye,” said Bridgeport coach Bruce Carey.
Bridgeport is currently 6-0, though Tonkery has missed roughly half of the season because of a hip pointer he suffered in the third game of the season. He came back last week to catch a 33-yard touchdown pass and rush for another 55 yards and a touchdown.
“I really don’t know how it happened or when I got hit,” he said, “but I feel pretty good now. I’m looking to have a strong second half.”
It’s traditional for verbally committed recruits to take an official visit to their college of choice, whether to re-affirm their decision or just receive the royal treatment for a weekend -- or both. Tonkery said he doesn’t even know if he’ll take one, though, because he goes to plenty of games as is, and doesn’t need to take one.
ESPN.com has this to say about Tonkery as a prospect: “Tonkery is a solid skilled athlete that will probably play in the secondary at the next level. He has good size and better than adequate speed. As a running back is best between tackles where he gets north to south in a hurry and is able to glide through the line of scrimmage and then accelerate into the open field. Reads his blocks well and has just enough shake and bake to make defenders miss in small areas. A steady runner to the outside when he bounces the ball but seems more natural as an inside runner; less hesitant. Knows when to lower the shoulder and fight for extra inches of turf in the red zone; smells out the endzone. Would be a major running back if possessed more pure speed. A good return specialist that gets going toward the opposite goal line instantly; reads the creases that opens up on the return and accelerates through them. An alert and instinctive defensive back that reads and understands pattern progression. Displays good hands when breaking on the ball and is dangerous to the opposition as a runner once he makes the interception. Tonkery should be a very solid and steady skilled athlete at the next level.”