It's been less than one year since West Virginia football originally landed a commitment from Class of 2026 quarterback Brodie McWhorter -- and it's been a roller coaster every day since the announcement was made.
McWhorter has been offered a scholarship from 25 Power 4 programs, including WVU, and is currently ranked amongst the Top 15 players at his position within the Class of 2026 per Rivals.
Things were looking good for WVU fans who hoped to land the massive quarterback prospect last June, when McWhorter initially announced his commitment to the Mountaineers. However, times can quickly change, and they did so for McWhorter abruptly roundabout December 2024.
That's when former WVU Head Coach Neal Brown was handed his pink slip from the program. The announcement regarding Brown's future in Morgantown came on the afternoon of December 1st, and by mid-day on December 2nd, McWhorter had decommitted and re-opened the process of choosing his eventual collegiate destination.
For most players, this would be the end of their affiliation with their initial school of choice. The coaching staff that had recruited him was being shown the door, and he has a plethora of Division 1 offers on the table -- including some from the most prominent programs in the sport such as Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon.
Most incoming first-year coaches at the collegiate level would also let this be the end of the line with a recruit from the old regime. But incoming WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez, isn't most coaches, and McWhorter's talent was enough to pique interest for the new staff. Of course, it probably helps that Rodriguez had also offered McWhorter at Jacksonville State.
So Rodriguez returned to the recruiting trail and hammered away to set up a future where McWhorter might recommit to WVU. McWhorter posted a photo to social media in January indicating he had talked with Rodriguez since the latter returned to Morgantown. Just over a couple weeks later, McWhorter shared another photo -- this time, Rodriguez had made the trek to Georgia to visit him and at high school.
McWhorter announced just over one week ago that his final list of "top schools" in his recruitment process were coming soon, though it was not mentioned if WVU was among them or not.
But just a couple days after this announcement, another major shift in the landscape surrounding WVU football occurred as WVU made official the return of program legend and former four-year starting quarterback Pat White, who joins the staff as an offensive assistant working with the quarterback room.
And not long after the news broke, McWhorter shared a photo with the legendary White which was captured while McWhorter attended game action in Morgantown.
So while McWhorter has officially decommitted from the Mountaineers and has made no official announcement of what level of consideration the program is receiving from him now that it has passed under new leadership. But it is clear that Rodriguez and his staff are at least attempting to bring McWhorter back into the fold, and thatthey seem to be making some inroads. Will the stud 2026 quarterback end up in Morgantown? Only time will tell.