2026 Stock Risers & Prospects New to the Top 75
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The Spring 2026 Rankings have been updated with many new prospects making their debut. The 2026 rankings have been expanded to 125 total prospects since our winter update. Here are the prospects who saw their stock rise and debuted inside…
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Continue ReadingThe Spring 2026 Rankings have been updated with many new prospects making their debut. The 2026 rankings have been expanded to 125 total prospects since our winter update. Here are the prospects who saw their stock rise and debuted inside the Top 75 of the 2026 rankings during the spring update.
There are still plenty of spots left for our Combine coming to Morgantown, WV on May 4th! Code WVHSCombine24 will get you a discount if you’d like to attend! For more information please click this link.
National 2026 prospect Daniel Jennings Daniel Jennings 6’4″ | 235 lbs | LB Princeton | 2026 State WV made shockwaves around the state and region when he announced he’d be returning home to Princeton after a stint across the border at Graham (VA). The 6’4 235 LB/Edge is a P4 recruit with offers from WVU and Penn State with more sure to be on the way for the rising junior. Jennings will debut at #2 in our 2026 rankings and the #1 LB prospect in the class. He certainly doesn’t look like a current sophomore in high school from a size and build standpoint and has the athletic ability to match it. Graham used him as a 3-4 OLB last season where he proved to be an elite young pass rusher and even got him reps at running back. I expect Princeton to use him similarly and possibly even some traditional DE reps if they elect on an even front. The Tigers are poised to make another state championship game run in 2024 in the new Class AAA, and Jennings may just be the piece they need to get over the hump for their first title.
Had Princeton’s Daniel Jennings Daniel Jennings 6’4″ | 235 lbs | LB Princeton | 2026 State WV not transferred back to WV, Huntington WR Tayveon Wilson Tayveon Wilson 6’3″ | 205 lbs | WR Huntington | 2026 State WV was set to be moved up to the #2 prospect in the 2026 class after a very busy past couple of months on the recruiting trail. Wilson picked up FBS offers from Marshall, App State, Toledo, and Bowling Green since our winter rankings update, and although he stayed put at #3 overall, it’s still worth noting his rise in stock as a prospect according to colleges. It’s only a matter of time before he earns his first P4 offer as his name continues to float to bigger programs across the region and country. Ohio State has been in touch with OC/WR coach Brian Hartline stopping by the school and WVU keeping tabs on him. Wilson’s stock is ready to explode sooner rather than later, if not before his junior year, then almost definitely after a likely even bigger breakout season in 2024.
Highlights
New Ranking: 5 | Previous Ranking: 11 | Spots Raised: 6
Cabell Midland’s Mason Ramsey Mason Ramsey 6’3″ | 285 lbs | OL Cabell Midland | 2026 State WV earned his first D1 offer from Toledo back in January with more programs sure to jump on board in the near future. The 6’3 285 big man steadily continues to grow physically and will see his ceiling and stock follow along the more he does. Ramsey has made visits to Marshall, Virginia Tech, Toledo, and Kentucky over the past couple of months with potential P4 offers coming in the future as they keep tabs on him. He moves up 6 spots from #11 to round out our 2026 Top 5 at the #5 spot and is now the #2 OL in the class. Ramsey will be battling several other big-time offensive linemen in the 2026 class to keep those high honors including some classmates on the Knights’ roster.
New Ranking: 12 | Previous Ranking: 19 | Spots Raised: 7
Speaking of Cabell Midland offensive linemen, Ben Guilliams Ben Guilliams 6’3″ | 265 lbs | OL Cabell Midland | 2026 State WV also picked up his first D1 offer from FCS Eastern Kentucky since our winter rankings update. He moves up 7 spots in the spring update to #12 overall and sticks at the #5 OL spot for now. The 6’3 265 rising junior has also been making the rounds to colleges across the country including stops at NC State, Western Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. Although an FBS program has yet to pull the trigger on an offer to Guilliams, I’d wager that he won’t have to wait too long, especially if he makes it out to some college prospect camps this summer.
The 2026 linebacker class continues to take shape with prospects jockeying for their positions in the rankings. George Washington LB Clyde May Clyde May 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB George Washington | 2026 State WV makes his debut in the rankings as the #5 linebacker in the class and a Top 50 prospect. The 6’1 210 rising junior was the third-leading tackler for the Patriots last season with 50 total stops. May saw time as a linebacker and defensive end last season but looks like a future OLB at the next level depending on how much more he grows over the next two years. Being able to play and produce along the defensive line as a sophomore his size for that position was impressive in a tough conference like the MSAC. May proved he has the physicality for a young player and did a nice setting and crashing the edge in 2023. He also flashed the needed athleticism to play more linebacker moving forward and is someone who can get out in space and make plays or even drop into coverage more. We’ll get a great look at him in person at our combine in early May to see just how athletic he is.
Highlights
I like the future outlook for Wayne’s Kaiden Hayton Kaiden Hayton 6’3″ | 200 lbs | ATH Wayne | 2026 State WV whose best football is ahead of him. He’s already a physical specimen at 6’3 200 who played all over the field for the Pioneers last season as a sophomore. We aren’t sure which position will ultimately be his best at this current juncture, so he’ll rank as the #3 ATH in the 2026 class for now with a lot of positional versatility moving forward. Listed with 5 different positions in his Twitter/X bio, Hayton’s best duty last season may have been as a returner on special teams. You don’t often see athletes his size returning kicks at the high school level, but he did so at a high level. Modest production in other areas keeps him lower in the rankings compared to where he’ll likely end up by the time he’s a senior, but Hayton flashed next-level athleticism in the opportunities he received as a sophomore and has a great athletic foundation to build on the next two years. We’re excited to see him in person competing at our combine in early May to see which positions he looks best at right now.
Herbert Hoover offensive lineman Mighty Lopez Mighty Lopez 6’1″ | 275 lbs | OL Herbert Hoover | 2026 State WV adds to the already deep 2026 OL class and debuts in the rankings as the #14 OL and a Top 75 prospect. With a name like Mighty, you have to back that claim up and mighty he is. The 6’1 275 big man saw time at both tackle and center for the Huskies as a sophomore and projects as an interior lineman pending further growth in size. I thought he gave quality pass pro reps at tackle for a lineman of his size and length, but a move inside is where you begin to see the potential and upside he has as a prospect. Lopez is a physical, strong young lineman who is also a bruiser in the running game and is very stout for his age. From watching his film I had a suspicion that he was also a wrestler and sure enough that thought was confirmed after some research as he finished 6th in the AA/A 285-pound weight class at the state wrestling tournament and a 44-15 overall record. The upper-body strength and leverage ability were obvious when watching his tape and will greatly benefit his game on the football field. Lopez is another prospect we’ll get eyes on at our combine in early May where he should be one of the top performers in the big man category.
Another 2026 offensive lineman who made his first appearance in our rankings is Jefferson’s Silas Speet Silas Speet 6’1″ | 250 lbs | OL Jefferson | 2026 State WV . The 6’1 250 rising junior was a pleasant surprise when he posted his sophomore film since our winter rankings update, and it placed him inside the Top 75 as the #16 OL in the class. His combination of athleticism and physicality for his age jumped out right away and has a high ceiling as a prospect with continued growth in size. Speet often won at the point of attack and was dominant on film at times for the Cougars last season. He also does a great job of finishing blocks until the whistle where he showed an edge and a nasty streak to his game. Speet has the foot quickness and athleticism to block down to the second level and can block in space when pulling. He showed good things in both run blocking and pass pro but was impressive in the running game. Speet will compete at our combine in early May in Morgantown as part of a deep and talented big-man group who should emerge as one of the top linemen there.