When Jeremiah Francis was a senior at Pickerington Central High School in Pickerington, Ohio, Bob Huggins and staff were all over him. Not only were the Mountaineers the second team in the nation to offer him a scholarship, Francis took an unofficial visit to Morgantown in October 2016 and Huggins visited Francis at his home in Ohio.
Ultimately Francis, who was a 3 star recruit and the #4 rated prospect in the state of Ohio in 2017, chose the North Carolina Tar Heels. According to ESPN.com, “Francis averaged 3.3 points in just 16 games for the Tar Heels last season. He didn’t play in his junior and senior year of high school due to knee surgeries, then missed the first eight games of his freshman season.”
Head Coach Roy Williams released a statement on Francis’ transfer, saying, “Jeremiah’s a wonderful young man. Our players and coaches enjoyed him being part of our program. I truly admired the work he put in to get back on the court after two full seasons of being injured in high school. We wish him the best wherever he chooses to resume his career.”
Bob Huggins has already said that he will not poach players from other programs, instead choosing to only take calls from players rather than reaching out to them himself. Considering that Huggins has met with him in his home and Francis has been in Morgantown to see the amazing facilities, it’s likely that he will reach out to Huggins to gauge his interest.
West Virginia has one remaining scholarship available after Brandon Knapper transferred to Eastern Kentucky University.
