Surprising True Freshman Wide Receiver Has Caught Jaden Bray's Attention

Could this newcomer find a role on offense in 2026?

Landon Drumm

Kevin Brown, Amari Latimer, and Matt Sieg — those have been the three most heavily discussed true freshmen on West Virginia's 2026 football roster, and by a mile. Others will begin to show flashes and perhaps show they are ready to contribute this fall, even if it's not on the level of the potential star trio.

When meeting with reporters on Friday afternoon, senior wide receiver Jaden Bray was asked about his thoughts on some of the guys in the wide receiver room as a whole, not specifically the youngsters, and the first name he mentioned was a bit of a surprise.

“I’ll start off with Landon Drumm. He’s a young guy, but you couldn’t even tell. It’s like he’s been here a year. He got here in the summer, and he came here from Alaska, so he did a lot of traveling to come out here, and it seems like he came out here ready to work. Just seeing the strides that he has taken has been pretty great, especially because of how young he is. Every day he is coming in to work. And since the first day- I know it’s the third day, but he’s always putting something on film every day, and it’s catching my attention, and I’m pretty sure it’s catching the coach’s attention.”

Prince Strachan has been a little bit banged up, but Bray also would eventually mention his importance, as well as John Neider and DJ Epps. Now, throwing out Drumm's name out there first doesn't mean he's at the top of the depth chart. Hint: He's not. But it just shows that he is clearly turning heads and fighting for a spot in the back end of the wide receiver rotation.

Drumm offers great length and size at 6'3", 187 lbs, which will most likely be deployed at the 'X' receiver spot. With Strachan not being 100%, it opens up reps for others, such as Drumm.

In his senior season at Arapahoe High School in Colorado, the Anchorage, Alaska native hauled in 56 receptions for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns. He was overlooked as a recruit, holding offers from Cal Poly, Montana State, Northern Colorado, and San Diego in addition to West Virginia.

Going back to my initial scouting report of Drumm on signing day, I labeled him a "hidden gem" and a slightly taller version of former WVU wide receiver Marcus Simms. He may not crack the two-deep this fall, but it may not take him long to get there.