West Virginia 2026 Signee Named Among Seven Finalists for National Player of the Year

Rich Rodriguez pieced together one heck of a recruiting class this cycle, adding well over 40 players during the signing period, pushing 50. The bigger surprise was the flip of four-star athlete Matt Sieg, who picked the Mountaineers over Penn State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Indiana, and Notre Dame.

Sieg hadn't been on campus in Morgantown in nearly two years, and his relationship with James Franklin was strong. The opportunity to play both sides of the ball was an intriguing factor in his decision, as WVU made a heavy pursuit in the final hours.

The Fort Cherry product has a case to be considered the top prospect in the class, and is already viewed as one of the best in the entire country. On Monday, Sieg was named one of seven finalists for the National Player of the Year Award.

Sieg has done a little bit of everything through his prep career and will leave Fort Cherry as one of the most decorated prospects in the history of the WPIAL. He began his career at quarterback, where he threw for 39 touchdowns in three years. This year, he played some running back, receiver, and safety. He ended the season with 984 yards and 16 touchdowns rushing and pulled down two interceptions on defense.

The plan is for him to start on the defensive side of the ball and eventually get some reps on offense, most likely at wide receiver.

"I think he was solidly committed to Penn State, and every time we would talk to people in Western Pennsylvania, they were like this guy is the talk of the whole state," Rodriguez said earlier this month. "Everybody in Western Pennsylvania knew him, and you watch him play, he’s dynamic. He can play a bunch of positions, and we weren’t sure we were in it. We tried to be. And then, there was a little bit of a crack with what happened up there (at Penn State), and we got a chance to stay in it, and I think he probably saw there’s a great opportunity for him at safety. And I told him, I think you’re good enough to play that, but also help us on the other side of the ball as well. We made a hard, late run at it. He’s going to be a whole lot of fun for our fans to watch.”

National Player of the Year Finalists

RB Ezavier Crowell: Jackson, Alabama | Alabama

QB Jared Curtis: Nashville, Tennessee | Vanderbilt

QB Jett Thomalla: Omaha, Nebraska | Alabama

QB Keisean Henderson: Spring, TX | Houston

DL Luke Wafle: Princeton, NJ | USC

ATH Matt Sieg: McDonald, PA | West Virginia

RB Myles McLaughlin: Knox, IN | Murray State

National Player of the Year Finalists

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