The early signing period for college football begins on Wednesday, and the circus of high school recruiting is picking up. On Tuesday evening, WVU landed a running back flipping from a Group of Five school one day before the early signing period begins.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez landed a three-star running back from Tennessee on Tuesday. Lawrence Autry is from Collierville, Tennessee, and is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports. The Tennessee native was originally committed to Tulane in the American Conference before flipping his commitment the day before the early signing period for the class of 2026 high school football players.
West Virginia has flipped 2026 running back Lawrence Autry from Tulane and he’s set to sign with the Mountaineers tomorrow. #WVU
— WVSports.com (@WVSportsDotCom) December 3, 2025
Details ▶️ https://t.co/p1C1E8vKvi pic.twitter.com/DjadyMClxP
On3/Rivals reports that he is expected to sign on Wednesday during the early signing period that starts on Wednesday and runs through Friday for high school football players.
Autry committed to Tulane on June 21 and stayed committed to the Green Wave until Tuesday. Holding a total of nine scholarships, including those from UNLV, Arkansas State, Georgia State, and Middle Tennessee, among other offers.
Autry rushed for 1,000 or more yards in each of his final three seasons, including a senior campaign that saw him accumulate 1,296 yards and 26 touchdowns on 179 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush.
Autry joins three other tailbacks committed to WVU in the Class of 2026 – Christopher Talley, SirPaul Cheeks, and Martavious Boswell. All three are versatile athletes who showcase different skillsets but can be effective in various roles in the future WVU backfield.
Autry brings his own unique skillset as he flashes good speed, efficient field vision, and an ability to break tackles. It will be exciting to see how Autry and the rest of the class of 2026 running backs will be used in the backfield for the 2026 season and beyond.
Landing a lot of high school talent was at the forefront of Rodriguez’s plan for recruiting in the offseason following the 2025 season. That vision has been carried out with 37 current commitments, according to Rivals/On3.
Closing out the end of the 2026 recruiting cycle, Rodriguez and his staff were able to add more pieces to the class right before the early signing period began.