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Five Key Recruits Who Could Change the Trajectory of WVU Football

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 9:42 AM ET

Rich Rodriguez and his staff are far from being done in the 2026 recruiting class, but with much of the class in place, I picked out five recruits who I believe could help change the trajectory of WVU football.

QB Jyron Hughley

Height: 6'1" Weight: 180

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL

Offers: Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Indiana, Marshall, Miami, Minnesota, NC State, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, Temple, Tulane, UCF, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.

There's a lot of potential in Hughley, but he's far from a finished product. Although WVU's quarterback situation isn't locked down for the foreseeable future, he won't be rushed onto the field. They'll have several veteran options to turn to while Hughley develops. I'm not 1000% sold that Hughley will be the future of WVU football, but if he takes the necessary steps in his development, he certainly will be that guy.

RB Christopher Talley

Height: 5'9" Weight: 175

Hometown: Memphis, TN

Offers: Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Memphis, Pitt, West Virginia.

The Mountaineers are getting a future star here in Talley, who just committed to the program on the 4th of July. He's fast, slippery, and can hit a home run at any given moment. Jahiem White has another year of eligibility after 2025, and there are some other intriguing backs on the roster, but by 2027, Talley could be in a position to be RB1. This past season, he rushed for 1,317 yards and 17 touchdowns on 120 carries.

WR Malachi Thompson

Height: 6'4" Weight: 200

Hometown: Nitro, WV

Offers: Akron, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Marshall, Ohio, Temple, Toledo, Youngstown State, West Virginia.

Thompson is as massively underrated recruit that West Virginia is lucky to have gotten in on ahead of his senior campaign. The size, speed, and all the other tools are there for him to develop into a top receiving threat at the next level. Others will come into the picture late, trying to flip him away from WVU, but I'd expect the Mountaineers to hang on here. I don't care how many "stars" he has - Thompson will be a playmaker in Morgantown.

OL Lamarcus Dillard

Height: 6'2" Weight: 310

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Offers: Boston College, Charlotte, Florida International, Marshall, Maryland, Miami, Pitt, Syracuse, Toledo, Tulane, UCF, Virginia Tech, West Virginia.

Can see Dillard playing guard or center, although his ceiling appears to be pretty high, anchoring the middle of the o-line. He moves extremely well laterally and is very athletic, making him the perfect fit for this run-heavy spread attack.

S Rickey Giles

Height: 5'11" Weight: 185

Hometown: Dallas, TX

Offers: Memphis, North Texas, Oregon State, Purdue, San Diego State, Texas State, Tulsa, Utah, UTEP, UTSA, West Virginia.

Giles makes plays from sideline to sideline in the back end, snatching up anything that comes his way. Floats around and will sometimes bait the quarterback into making a bad throw to either jump the route and pick it off or make a punishing hit on the receiver. Plays the game at one gear - fast.