WVU football emerges as a top contender for 'coveted' Class of 2027 athlete

Rich Rodriguez put together a premier 2026 recruiting class amid his first full season after returning to the West Virginia Mountaineers. But he is also already hard at work on repeating that same effort this coming offseason.

On Tuesday, Miami Palmetto (Fla.) athlete Kaden Howard narrowed his college choices down to seven programs, and WVU football was among the final contenders. The Mountaineers joined Louisville, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Pitt in Howard's top seven.

Kaden Howard emerges as highly-touted prospect after standout junior season

According to Tom Loy, who serves as a national recruiting analyst with 247Sports, Howard is a "coveted" three-phase athlete. Howard is a bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, but has a full year of high school to add size before he even steps on a college campus as a player.

What he lacks in size is made up for by the fact that possesses elite speed. Howard has already clocked marks of 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 4.21 in the 20-yard shuttle as a high school junior. Howard began to shine last offseason, where he earned rave reviews and was listed among the top performers from South Florida at the Under Armour Next Combine in Miami by The Palm Beach Post.

"Howard’s speed and ability to separate from the defensive back while the ball was in the air was on full display Sunday, He made catches on multiple deep balls and beat defenders by multiple steps," the outlet wrote at the time.

Howard primarily plays wide receiver and defensive back, but has been used sparingly with success as a ballcarrier. According to his MaxPreps profile, Howard finished his junior season with 25 receptions for 510 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging over 20 yards per catch. He also logged two carries for 61 yards and one touchdown.

His efforts were a crucial part in Miami Palmetto finishing 11-3 and advancing to Florida's Class 7A state semifinals during the 2025 season. According to an early scouting report from West Virginia On SI's Schuyler Callihan, Howard has a "wow factor" to his play.

"Very slippery as a receiver, can operate well in tight spaces. Getting the ball to him in space is a pretty good idea with how quickly he can turn the corner and throw it into next gear," Callihan wrote. "He's not just an underneath option, though. He'll make defenses pay on the deep ball, getting past the second level in the blink of an eye, turning it into a foot race that he wins more often than not."