It's always nice to have another reminder of the potential the West Virginia Mountaineers have waiting in the wings for the 2026 season and beyond.
During the Early National Signing Period, the Mountaineers inked an exceptionally large class of 49 athletes, which has fallen to 47 since with two de-commitments. The Mountaineers had already found themselves with the 21st-best 2026 recruiting class according to On3, and the 24th-best according to 247Sports.
But now, an update to another prominent national outlet's rankings have boosted the Mountaineers higher in yet another set of team rankings for the Class of 2026.
ESPN moves West Virginia Mountaineers up in latest team recruiting rankings for Class of 2026
ESPN published their latest edition of their Top 75 recruiting classes for the Class of 2026, and WVU climbed one spot to No. 23 in the new rankings. They currently have signed two SportsCenter Next 300 prospects in safety Matt Sieg (No. 173) and offensive tacke Kevin Brown (No. 86).
"The onetime Penn State commit and son of a former Mountaineers OL is a big, flexible player who could be a plug-and-play option," ESPN writer Craig Haubert wrote about Brown.
Haubert also praised Sieg as "a huge pickup both from a value and need standpoint" who has the "talent to contribute early in Morgantown." Haubert also praised four-star cornerback Vincent Smith, three-star quarterback Jyron Hughley, and a running back room that will include three-star signees Christopher Talley and SirPaul Cheeks and four-star signee Armani Latimer.
Haubert also called back to Rodriguez's first tenure at West Virginia, where "he turned overlooked three-stars such as Pat White and Steve Slaton into fantastic scheme fits." Now, Haubert believes Rodriguez is putting together a similar style of recruiting class that "might lack star power but has plenty of depth."