2026 DB Vincent Smith Picks West Virginia Over Two Big Ten Schools

Thursday afternoon, the West Virginia Mountaineers saw their 2026 recruiting class grow as defensive back Vincent Smith (6'2", 200 lbs) out of Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois, announced his pledge to the Mountaineers.

Smith, who was initially committed to Northern Illinois, picked West Virginia over Iowa and Purdue. Iowa State, Kentucky, and USC also entered the mix, but it ultimately came down to WVU and the two Big Ten schools.

The expectation is that Smith will play cornerback at WVU, but has the ability to play safety as well.

Stayed tuned as we'll have more in-depth analysis on this breaking story on West Virginia On SI, soon.

West Virginia's Current 2026 Commits

QB Jyron Hughley, RB Christopher Talley, RB Jett Walker, WR Robert Stith, WR Charlie Hanafin, WR Malachi Thompson, TE Sam Hamilton, OL Rhett Morris, OL Justyn Lyles, OL Cameron Goforth, EDGE Noah Tishendorf, DL Cam Mallory, LB Cameron Dwyer, LB Antoine Sharp, LB Miles Khatri, CB Emari Peterson, DB Simaj Hill, DB Jaylon Jones (JUCO), DB Vincent Smith, S Taj Powell, S Aaron Edwards, S Rickey Giles, and S Emory Snyder.

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