WVU Football Lands In Top 5 For 2026 TE With Pro Basketball, NFL Minicamp Experience

There's been some interesting developments in the college recruiting scene in recent years that are expanding the pool of available talent, and some new strategies on where to hunt down potential players. And WVU football, hot off the recruiting successes of landing a top JUCO wideout and closing in on potentially flipping a pair of four-star Penn State commits, is exploring an interesting option at tight end.

The Mountaineers have landed in the top five schools for Nathaniel Salmon, a New Zealand-based 2026 prospect with quite the unique background. Salmon, who comes from a rugby background in his youth and became a professional basketball player in his home country at the age of 17, never experimented with American football until 2024.

But the 6-foot-7, 270-pound athlete found himself as one of 14 players selected for the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program last year – he subsequently spent 10 weeks training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he worked out as a tight end. He was able to use that to obtain an opportunity at the Los Angeles Chargers rookie minicamp just months later, but did not end up signed to the preseason roster before training camp.

But because he has never signed a professional football contract, the NCAA granted the 21 year-old prospect a full four years of eligibility last month. Now, the massive-framed tight end has obtained several Power 4 offers, including from the Mountaineers, and his narrowed his options down to WVU, Baylor, Utah, Arizona State, and Arizona.

Salmon is incredibly athletic, posting a 4.63-second 40-yard dash time earlier this year and with video showing his ability to serve not only as an additional massive body that can run block, but one that can provide a unique weapon running routes as well.

If the Mountaineers land Salmon, it would not be the first time the program has had success with international players. The Mountaineers even have multiple foreign athletes on their current roster, such as punter Ollie Straw from Australia, defensive lineman Eddie Vesterinen from Finland, and defensive back Kekoura Tarnue from Liberia.

WVU is also exploring similar avenues to land future prospects, as they have also been in contact with 2027 defensive line prospect Augustine Irek, who is a Nigerian athlete that is similarly a recent convert to American football with little prior experience. Irek earned a spot with the NFL Academy in London, which serves as a prep school for international high school athletes looking to pursue a career in professional football.