West Virginia football is in the midst of summer camp season, allowing the program to evaluate potential high school prospects on the field under the direction of its coaching staff. It's a time of year when many under-the-radar recruits find themselves with offers after struggling to deviate themselves from the pack early in the process.
This was the case on Friday for Class of 2026 wide receiver Charlie Hanafin from Dexter Southfield in Brookline, Massachusetts, who entered the day unranked in the 247Sports database with just one Power Four offer from in-state program Boston College. Hanafin has also garnered 11 FCS offers -- including multiple from Ivy League schools -- as well as a Group of Five offer from UMass, and was named to the Boston Herald 2024 Preseason All-Independent School League Team.
Hanafin was rumored to have garnered attention from WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez early during the camp. Then, later in the camp, the wide receivers and defensive backs were being led through 1-on-1 drills, with the score tied 9-9 apiece. Rodriguez asked for the best on each side, at which point West Virginia wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett called upon Hanafin -- the wideout used his 6-foot, 2-inch frame to high point a deep bomb over the top of his defender to haul in a highlight reel catch.
At the end of the day, Hanafin announced on social media that after a conversation with Rodriguez, he had received an offer from the Mountaineers.
If Hanafin ends up making his way to Morgantown for his collegiate career, he would not be the first in his family to secure a spot on a Power Four roster -- one of his brothers, Shane Hanafin, is currently a quarterback with Boston College, and another brother, Ronan Hanafin, is a defensive back for Clemson who has appeared in 25 games over the past two seasons.
Hanafin recently discussed with the press at the Dexter Southfield Show Day in May exactly what attributes he's been trying to show off to collegiate coaches at such events, and his mindset as he heads into his senior season.
"My main thing today is I was working on some speed stuff, show my ability to run and track down the ball," he said. "There's never a relief, you're always working. This is just another step in the books, another chapter and we're on to summer ball now."
That sound like the exact type of "hard edge" attitude Rodriguez expects out of his players, and Hanafin will certainly be a name to keep an eye on in WVU's 2026 recruiting class.