West Virginia and coach Wealthy Rodriguez secured a large dedication within the 2026 class Tuesday from four-star offensive deal with Kevin Brown, who will land because the Mountaineers’ highest-ranked signee in no less than 15 years.
No. 78 within the 2026 SC Subsequent 300, Brown is a 6-foot-5, 265-pound prospect from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He beforehand spent greater than a 12 months dedicated to Penn State’s incoming recruiting class earlier than reopening his course of following the firing of coach James Franklin final month.
Brown, whose father is former West Virginia offensive lineman Tim Brown, introduced his pledge to the Mountaineers over finalists Ohio State and North Carolina on “The Pat McAfee Present” on ESPN. He then commemorated the second on-air by setting a sofa on hearth outdoors his household’s dwelling in a nod to one of many faculty’s most cherished and controversial traditions.
He’s the primary SC Subsequent 300 pledge in West Virginia’s 2026 class, which incorporates 28 highschool commits within the late levels of this system’s full recruiting cycle since Rodriguez returned final December. When Brown indicators throughout the early signing interval Dec. 3-5, he’ll arrive as West Virginia’s highest-ranked addition since eventual three-time all-conference quarterback Geno Smith joined this system within the 2009 class.
Brown, a multisport athlete with potential to earn early taking part in subsequent fall, initially dedicated to the in-state Nittany Lions in July 2024. He stood as Penn State’s second-ranked 2026 pledge when Franklin was fired in his twelfth season with this system on Oct. 12, and Brown remained publicly dedicated to the Nittany Lions till this previous Sunday.
Brown, nonetheless, visited each Ohio State and West Virginia over the previous month. North Carolina was one other program to emerge with important late curiosity in ESPN’s No. 13 offensive deal with previous to his dedication to the Mountaineers.
“They’ve a long-term plan there,” Tim Brown, who performed underneath Rodriguez within the early 2000s, just lately informed ESPN. “You see all of the packages which are being constructed and the help that they get. West Virginia did not have that and now they’ve it. This may very well be an up-and-coming factor. And Kevin actually feels that.”
Brown started Tuesday as ESPN’s top-ranked uncommitted offensive deal with for 2026. Former Virginia Tech pledge Thomas Wilder stays because the lone uncommitted offensive line prospect within the cycle.
