2026 Prospects New to the Top 150 (Pt. 1)

For a discounted subscription to view all of our content, use Code PRZWV30 at checkout for 30% off!   The 2026 rankings have grown by 25 since our Spring Update as 150 of the best 2026 prospects in West Virginia are now represented on our site. Here are the new prospects who made their debut in the 2026 summer rankings update inside of the Top 150.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEW TO THE TOP 150</h2>    We're looking for 2026 Morgantown DB [player_tooltip player_id='1139034' first='Zaiiden' last='Lockett'] to have a bigger role on the Mohigans' varsity team this season after seeing some spot duty at safety and on special teams as a sophomore. Lockett posted his sophomore film since our spring rankings update, and we like the potential he showed as a young player in 2023. He'll debut as a Top 15 DB in the 2026 class for now with the potential to climb higher once he sees more of a starting role in the future. The first trait we liked about Lockett when evaluating his film was his effort on special teams. That's always a telling sign when watching film to see who is putting in high effort in all three phases of the game and not just on offense and defense. Lockett is also always around the ball and made several interceptions and fumble recoveries last season on varsity and JV. He appears to be a strong safety prospect who has the athleticism to play on the back end or creep into the box and play closer to the line of scrimmage.   We'll get a better idea of his game with future varsity opportunities, but Lockett showed good early signs of developing into a quality DB prospect in time.      2026 Winfield OL [player_tooltip player_id='1020617' first='Jake' last='Walker'] has been on our radar for a while and has been on the verge of being ranked for some time and now finally made his debut as a Top 25 offensive lineman in the class. We debated on ranking Walker as a DL but elected to place him among the OL for now with the potential to flip positions in the future depending on film. Size has been the one factor that has kept him lower in the rankings and another reason why a move to DL is possible, but Walker's play on the field warranted a Top 150 placement at this stage. Walker is a physical player who overcomes his lack of physical size with a nasty style of play. He plays with an edge to him and has strong upper-body strength that can push around bigger defensive linemen. Walker is also a quality athlete who primarily plays tackle for the Generals at 6'0 225 and can pull and block down to the second level in their style of offense.   If Walker can keep getting bigger, he has the talent to climb in the rankings in the future.      We've seen 2026 North Marion LB [player_tooltip player_id='888605' first='Karter' last='Parson'] a lot this off-season including at our combine event back in May where he earned LB Top Performer honors. Parson is new to the North Marion program coming over from Hundred this year and looks in line to earn a starting linebacker spot for the reloading Huskies. Although no sophomore film to evaluate, from getting to see Parson in person in multiple times this summer, he's ready for a step up in competition after being a very good player at the small school level. Size also keeps him lower on the list for now, but Parson has made strides in his athleticism since his freshman year and really opened our eyes after seeing him in person.   We're eager to get some more game film of Parson this season to see how he's progressed over the past two years and is an under-the-radar 2026 prospect to know.     Another linebacker prospect without much game film but impressed at our combine event was 2026 Herbert Hoover RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='894987' first='Devin' last='Silvas']. Silvas is another transfer who comes to the Huskies from St. Albans and should help solidify their running back and linebacker positions. He's a big athlete who moves well for his size and had strong testing numbers at our camp with a 4.87 40, 4.44 pro shuttle, and 7.38 L Drill in rainy conditions.   Without much game film, we're anticipating Silvas to have a breakout year for his new team and show us why we consider him a Top 150 player in the 2026 class with he potential to climb higher once we're able to evaluate more film.      St. Albans quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1234063' first='Reece' last='Lilly'] is ready to break out under a new coaching staff this season after showing a lot of potential and upside as a sophomore during a very tough season for the Red Dragons. Lilly has great early size at 6'3 180 with the frame to continue adding mass that'll raise his ceiling even higher. Lilly is a quality overall athlete who has the ability to tuck the ball and run when needed and can execute the option if needed. Mechanically, he's pretty sharp at this stage of his development from watching some clips on his X account. You won't find much evidence of his arm talent in his sophomore highlights, but from watching him operate on air, Lilly has all of the tools to develop into a top passer in this class.   Don't be surprised if you see Lilly as a big-time stock riser after this season if he and the Red Dragons as a whole can take a step in the right direction under a new regime.      The Parkersburg Big Reds will be looking for their former underclassmen to step up and take on larger roles this season after graduating a talented senior class with one of those rising juniors being LB [player_tooltip player_id='1139401' first='Sylas' last='Cheuvront']. Cheuvront saw some spot duty on the varsity team last season as a sophomore but should be in line for a potential starting role as a junior in 2024. He also has the athletic versatility to see carries on offense, but we like Cheuvront as a linebacker prospect at this stage of his career. While not the biggest athlete for a linebacker at 5'11 180, Cheuvront plays with an edge and is a hard-hitting physical tackler. He also has quality speed and can fly around the field on offense or defense with potential as an outside linebacker prospect. Cheuvront seeks out contact on both sides of the ball which is a trait we loved seeing on film.   Once Cheuvront gets more varsity game film, we'll get a better idea of his ceiling and hope to see him make a jump from his sophomore to junior season.      Another primarily JV prospect as a sophomore who we expect to have a varsity role as a junior in 2023 is Morgantown RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='1324981' first='Rhys' last='Wells']. The Mohigans also graduated a talented 2024 class and will look for some athletes like Wells to play more this season. Wells has the potential to move to RB in our rankings in the future whose size and athleticism may better fit that spot, but he debuts in the 2026 Top 150 as a linebacker prospect. He's an athletic prospect with quick feet and showed breakaway speed at the JV level on film. Wells plays with a high motor and great effort on both sides of the ball while trying to make a big play on any given snap.   We'll be looking to see if Wells can demand varsity playing time this season which keeps him lower in the rankings for now until that happens, but the potential was obvious when watching him at the JV level.      Chapmanville WR [player_tooltip player_id='1268282' first='Jeremy' last='Collins'] was a huge surprise Top Performer at our combine this year and seemingly came out of nowhere and performed well among some very talented other prospects. Collins was completely off our radar before the camp and demanded a placement inside the Top 150 after seeing him in person. Collins played mostly running back for the Tigers last season where he led them in rushing and didn't catch a single pass. He worked out at receiver at our camp and stood out among some other highly thought of pass catchers who we knew coming into the event. At 5'8 165, he's a bit undersized still but tested well with a 4.75 40, 4.43 pro shuttle, and a 7.5 L Drill with defensive back potential as well where he finished third in tackles on the team last season.   There isn't currently any game film available to us of Collins last season which keeps him lower in the rankings for now, but his performance at the combine and athletic ability warranted a Top 150 placement.

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