In a busy recruiting season, WVU football coach Rodriguez and his staff have secured another valuable addition for their 2026 recruiting class, this time adding to the secondary with a three-star safety prospect.
Announced on his personal X account, South Oak Cliff (Texas) prospect Ricky Giles announced his commitment on June 23. A Dallas, Texas native, Giles is listed at 5-foot-11 and is among the Top 200 players at his position nationally according to 247Sports.
After years of hard work and dedication, I’m blessed to announce my commitment to West Virginia University! 💛💙
— Rickey Giles (@RickeyGiles13) June 23, 2025
Big thanks to my parents, auntie, and coaches for the love and support.
Let’s work! Let’s gooooo Mountaineers!#Committed #WVU #MountaineerNation #GrindDontStop pic.twitter.com/ynOYzP14mt
With the commitment of Giles, the Mountaineers' recruiting class for 2026 now has 22 commitments and is ranked 48th nationally according to Rivals. WVU football has yet to sign a four-star or higher recruit for the Class of 2026.
In his junior season at South Oak Cliff, Giles posted 51 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumbles, and one defensive touchdown. Giles also ran a 23.48-second 200-yard dash in track as a sophomore.
Head Coach Rich Rodriguez is showing signs of proof that he is dedicated to returning this WVU football program to the level of production it once saw. Getting a balance of transfers and high school recruits is something that all college coaches are dealing with in the transfer portal era.
Giles held offers from Boise State, Memphis, Missouri State, and North Texas before choosing WVU above the aforementioned schools. According to 247Sports, Giles is the 131st-ranked safety in the class of 2026 and is among the top 230 recruits in the state of Texas.
If you take a peek at his junior season highlights, you can see that Giles is not afraid of playing in space and coming up from his safety spot to make the tackle. He also possesses some skills in pursuing the ball carrier and making the tackle from behind. It will be interesting to see how Giles could improve in the WVU program with a few years of training and development.
Could Giles be something in the making at WVU? Possibly. But it is going to take time, that is assuming he stays at WVU and doesn’t enter the transfer portal looking for a place to get more playing time. If the Dallas, Texas, native decides to stay in the WVU program, WVU football fans should remember the name, as he could be a factor on the defense in a few years.