Jewone Snow, a highly regarded inside linebacker for McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, became much more familiar with the West Virginia Mountaineer football program while taking an official visit to Morgantown this weekend. He also learned that many people at WVU are already familiar with him -- including, of all people, men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins.

“It was great. I met Bobby Huggins,” Snow told EerSports.com on Monday night. “It was the day after the [Marshall] game. We had breakfast. They brought all the recruits to this place and he was there and we saw him.

“All the people down there, fans and [everyone], knew who I was.”

Purdue, Cincinnati, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State and Pitt are all recruiting Snow. Of the Mountaineers, Snow said, “They’re one of my favorites. It’s a great place. I think I might visit again sometime soon.”

Huggins informed Snow that from his time spent coaching throughout Ohio, he knew of Snow’s father, Garland Rivers, and his uncle, Percy Snow, who were both former high school athletes. Huggins is a WVU graduate and Morgantown native, but played high school basketball in Ohio. He served as an assistant at Ohio State University in 1978-1980, before moving on to be the head coach at Walsh College, in North Canton, Ohio, then became head coach at Akron and eventually took over at Cincinnati.  

“He knows of my Dad and my uncle,” Snow said. “He knew R.C. Hill who coached my high school basketball team.”

Huggins’ Ohio connections may pay dividends for WVU’s chances of getting a verbal commitment from Snow. “It was sweet. I just knew who he was,” said Snow. “I saw him coach at Cincinnati.”

Snow withstood the plummeting temperatures which dipped into the lower 40s, as well as sporadic rainfall, during Saturday’s game between WVU and Marshall. Despite the conditions, Snow enjoyed his visit. “I thought the fans were electric. It was good, but I’m sure it would’ve been a lot more exciting with the weather being better,” he said.

The Mountaineer defense held Marshall to just seven points, pitching a second half shutout -- Snow took note.

“I think they run their D to perfection. It’s a hard defense to play against,” he said.

The overall speed of WVU also snagged Snow’s attention. “They have speed to play against anybody in the country. I think they might be too fast to play against a couple Big Ten teams.”

Branko Busik, a freshman linebacker from Steubenville, Ohio, served as player host to Snow. “First off, me and him, whenever we were together, we were with Latwan Anderson and Najae Goode,” said Snow. “All four of us were together all weekend. We went out and had some fun.”

Anderson, a fellow class of 2010 recruit who plays safety for Glenville High School, in Cleveland, Ohio, has indicated strong interest in the Ohio State Buckeyes. However, Snow said Anderson enjoyed his visit to Morgantown.

“We ended up being together the whole weekend,” Snow said. “He said he liked West Virginia a lot. Obviously, it’s one of his favorite schools. I think he had a good time.”

Snow talked with nearly all of the football staff at WVU during his visit. “I think [head] coach [Bill] Stewart and all them are genuine. I get a letter from the whole staff every two or three weeks.”

And whether or not he will commit to WVU, Snow explained: “It’s a high chance for them, but for other schools also. I don’t know when that day will be.” He added he may reach a decision “possibly” by “the end of winter.”

Snow does not have any other official visits planned at this time. “No, right now, my schedule’s free.”

Snow, a 6-foot-4, 234-pound senior rated the No. 23 inside linebacker in the nation by ESPN.com, appears to be down to three finalists, said his high school coach, Ron Johnson: WVU, Michigan State and Purdue. He’s taken an official visit to Purdue in addition to his official to Morgantown this weekend, and has been to MSU unofficially on multiple occasions.

Asked what sort of chance WVU stands in terms of gaining a commitment from Snow, Johnson said, “Excellent.”

Johnson, who coached for 10 years at Miami (Ohio), also spoke glowingly about WVU’s coaching staff.

“I played in college with Jeff Mullen -- he was a freshman when I was a senior. I also have worked some camps with some of their coaches, Doc Holliday and when Don Nehlen was there. They’re great guys and Bill Stewart is as good as it gets.”

He also raved about Snow’s abilities.

“He’s a great player. I coached Division I football for 10 years and he’s the best middle linebacker that I think I’ve ever had.”

Stay tuned to EerSports.com for the latest on the recruitment of Jewone Snow, in addition to the rest of our WVU sports and recruiting coverage. And don't forget to join the conversation on the WVU Sports Message Board!

Jewone Snow ESPN.Com Recruiting Video

ESPN.com Evaluation: “Snow is a thickly-built middle linebacker prospect who could develop into a stout downhill run defender at the next level. He is tall with great layered bulk. Has good overall body strength and some length for a stout inside run stopper. Plays with better-than-adequate flexibility. Fills strong and quickly downhill and is difficult to turn out of the hole. Shows good short-area power stalemating blockers and blowing up the fullback iso. Fights through blocks with strong hand technique. Can redirect and mirror well for his size between the tackles. Flashes plays on film where he gets a good jump off the ball, slips under the cutoff block and takes inside-out angles to the football; but it's inconsistent. Flashes a better-than-adequate burst of speed to the outside for his size but range on both run and pass support are limited to the short-area. He's not always very reactive and can let blockers reach him at the second level and open his whole body to the cutoff block. We have concerns he may get caught up in the faster moving traffic at the next level and get sealed off. Lacks great downhill burst and explosiveness; does not consistently beat blockers to the point of attack. Can leave his feet as a tackler and get jolted back at times at the point of attack showing a lack of balance and leverage. Shows some stiffness and wasted motion changing direction in space. We like his tools as a downhill run stopper but feel he may struggle at times mirroring the cutback of quicker zone runners at the next level. Overall, Snow is productive between the tackles and a physical downhill presence. We expected him to dominate his competition more on film given his superior measurables but still should be a steady and durable downhill run filler versus power-running schemes. Could struggle versus teams who spread the field. Could potentially slide down to end with added size.”