Ex-Great Bridge Star Heastie Struggling at WVU
Logan Heastie (Photo: WVU Sports)
A few years ago, Chris Beatty left Northern Illinois after one year and took an upgrade at West Virginia. Beatty came to WVU to coach running backs and slot receivers in 2008. While Beatty’s an excellent coach, he brought with him an added asset: access to the lucrative 757 recruiting territory. Beatty coached at Landstown High School and guided his Percy Harvin led team to two state title games and one State Championship. Coach Beatty knows the region well and brought in several area recruits in his first year including Phoebus’ Dominik Davenport, a four-star defensive lineman, and Great Bridge’s Logan Heastie, a five-star wide receiver. With that contribution, Coach Beatty made quite a splash. Unfortunately, that haul hasn’t been the difference maker it could have been for the Mountaineer program.
Dominik Davenport left the West Virginia program at the end of the Fall semester and transferred to Old Dominion. The move was a homecoming for Davenport and a thrill for Monarchs fans. Davenport was highly touted coming out of Phoebus but didn’t see playing time at WVU. He redshirted in his first year and spent last season on the bench for the Mountaineers. Overall, Davenport’s time at West Virginia was a disappointment.
Now there’s news out of Morgantown that Logan Heastie may be considering a move as well. Reports from West Virginia have Heastie struggling in the classroom and struggling with his limited role with the Mountaineers. Heastie was seen as a top reserve as a redshirt freshman before the 2009 season, but that role never materialized. Head Coach Bill Stewart has told West Virginia press that Heastie is “dealing with personal issues” and while Heastie is still listed on the WVU roster, he hasn’t participated in spring practices. A WVU blogger has reported that Heastie’s issues weren’t football, academic or legal, but that he walked out of practice over a month ago and hadn’t been back. It’s also been reported that Coach Chris Beatty and Heastie’s position coach Lonnie Galloway have discussed the situation with Heastie’s parents, but added that Coach Stewart and Heastie had yet to talk to each other about the situation as of a couple of weeks ago.
The story isn’t over yet. Heastie’s ultimate destination still seems to be undetermined. The situation is not an indictment of Beatty’s ability to bring in stable, quality players, nor is it an indictment of 757 players and their ability to handle the situation of living away from home. It’s an unfortunate circumstance that first Davenport and now Heastie have had problems in Morgantown. The last word out of camp was that Coach Stewart would welcome Heastie back into the Mountaineer fold at anytime, no questions asked. The question is… “will he return?”
Beatty Adds Recruiting Coordinator Title at WVU
The promotion says a lot about Chris Beatty as a man, as a coach and as a recruiter. WVU coach Bill Stewart has announced that Coach Chris Beatty will add the responsibilities of Director of Recruiting to his plate. Additionally, Beatty will coach Fullbacks in 2010. That group is added to his current responsibilities of coaching running backs and slot receivers.
Beatty’s rise to coaching stardom has been a quick one. Beatty was a high school coach until Percy Harvin finished his high school career at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach. Beatty moved on to become offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hampton University in 2006. In 2007, Beatty became running backs coach at Northern Illinois. The departure of Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia opened the door for Beatty to join a BCS staff. Beatty started his tenure at WVU in 2008 and hasn’t looked back.
Beatty has been recognized as a top recruiter and now will head up the recruiting efforts for WVU since the departure of Doc Holliday who moved on to become head coach at Marshall University. Since Beatty has numerous 757 connections, you can expect Beatty and WVU to continue to recruit heavily here.
Congrats on the promotion, Coach Beatty!