Dominion RB Deandre Reaves commits to West Virginia

Dominion senior running back Deandre Reaves gave a verbal commitment to play football at West Virginia Saturday.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound tailback who opened eyes with his 1,280-yard, 14-touchdown freshman season, selected the Mountaineers over offers from Maryland, Marshall and Fordham. West Virginia's development of similar small, quick running backs like Houston Texan Steve Slaton (5-9, 199) and junior Noel Devine (5-8, 175) made Reaves feel confident Coach Rich Rodriguez Bill Stewart could maximize his skill set.

"I like what they have to offer, the kind of offense they run and the kind of athletes they use," Reaves said. "They don't always go after the big 200-pound running backs, but the kind of guys like me -- the smaller, shifty one-move and make you miss guys."

As a junior, Reaves was pressed into quarterback duty after starter Trey Baxter went down with an injury. Taking direct snaps and throwing sparingly in an effort to keep defenses from stacking the box against him, Reaves totaled 1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while completing 18-of-40 passes for 306 yards. The Titans narrowly missed their first ever playoff berth, losing their final two games to Park View and Briar Woods to finish the season 4-6.

Reaves, who also starts in the secondary at defensive back, said last Thursday that he was in no hurry to make a decision, but changed his mind during a weekend visit that included a Mountaineers scrimmage.

"My family loved how up front the coaching staff was about everything," said Reaves, who has amassed 3,199 rushing yards and 36 career touchdowns at Dominion. "Together, we made the decision that it was the right time to do it. I pretty much had my mind set on it, but wanted to be 110 percent sure."

In their third year under Karl Buckwalter, the Titans hope to improve on last year's program-best record and reach the postseason.