Class of 2026 Signee Requests NLI Release from West Virginia

Late Thursday night, some unexpected news popped up as class of 2026 West Virginia signee Kingston Whitty requested release from his National Letter of Intent.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard picked the Mountaineers over offers from Belmont, Binghampton, Boston, Bradley, Chattanooga, Dartmouth, Fordham, George Mason, Georgia Southern, Holy Cross, Illinois-Chicago, Jackson State, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Loyola Maryland, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Northeastern, Northern Iowa, Old Dominion, Richmond, Sanford, Stetson, Tennessee, Toledo, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Youngstown State, and several others.

At the time of his signing, Hodge called Whitty, "We feel Kingston is one of the most underrated guards in the country." As a junior, he posted 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51% from the field and 33% from downtown.

What this means for Ross Hodge, West Virginia

This obviously creates another roster spot, but one that Hodge didn't expect to have. Whitty was a guy they felt could see some action as a freshman, albeit in a backup role. The Mountaineers are going to be targeting a bunch of veteran guards, so in that sense, it's not like they're playing from behind, having to pursue a position they didn't plan on going after. They've done their homework on a bunch of transfers, but now know they'll need to add one more. Don't be surprised if they replace Whitty's spot with another young option that they can take a chance on.

West Virginia's updated roster

* - walk-on

PG: Miles Sadler, Amir Jenkins

SG: Morris Ugusuk, Niyol Hauet*, MJ Feenane*

SF: N/A

PF: Jackson Fields

C: Aliou Dioum, Abraham Oyeadier