Tight End Ryan Ward Confirms He Will Return to West Virginia for 2026 Season

There's been a lot of movement on the West Virginia football roster with several players entering the transfer portal and roughly 40 players graduating. So once again, Mountaineer fans are going to have to study their gameday programs (yes, those still exist), hard to get familiar with next year's squad.

Tight end Ryan Ward will be one of the few semi-familiar faces on the team next fall, after announcing he is staying with the program in 2026.

Let’s do it💛 #Year3 pic.twitter.com/lliyHCOSz6
— Ryan Ward (@ryanward__1) January 7, 2026

The North Carolina transfer appeared in all twelve games for the Mountaineers this season, hauling in six passes for 41 yards and a score. With Grayson Barnes and Jacob Barrick logging most of the snaps, Ward was sprinkled in here and there and showed some flashes of his potential, particularly in the games against TCU, Houston, and Colorado. The blocking aspect of his game is still a work in progress, but it's not in shambles. There's some potential there; it just needs to be fine-tuned.

An updated look and projection of the West Virginia tight end room

Behind Ward, it's an extremely young group that is thin on experience. And by thin, I mean no experience whatsoever. Kade Bush, Sam Hamilton, and Xavier Anderson are all incoming freshmen, and in all likelihood, only one of the three will be game-ready this fall. Colin McBee and Carter Zuliani are former walk-ons who are probably not in the equation, at least on offense. So with that said, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the Mountaineers add a veteran through the transfer portal, particularly one who is advanced as a blocker. I'd be shocked to see WVU enter next season, leaving the group as it is currently constructed.

If the season were to begin this weekend, I'd have Ward as the unquestioned starter. Serving as the No. 2 option, I'd have Sam Hamilton, who is probably the most equipped to handle the physicality at this level, closely followed by Kade Bush. West Virginia native Xavier Anderson has some serious potential, but it's going to take a couple of years for him to fill out his frame.

An updated look and projection of the West Virginia tight end room

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