West Virginia Signee Matt Sieg Named National High School Player of the Year

Offensive tackle Kevin Brown is widely regarded as West Virginia's crown jewel of the 2026 recruiting class, but maybe he can share that label with fellow Penn State flip, Matt Sieg.

The dynamic two-way athlete was recently named the National High School Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club after putting the finishing touches on a remarkable career at Fort Cherry High School in McDonald, Pennsylvania, which is just outside of Pittsburgh.

Sieg finished the 2025 campaign with 2,259 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns, while tallying 45 tackles and four interceptions on the other side of the football as a defensive back. Throughout his career, he's played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and safety. The versatility is real and is something WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez will plan to utilize at some point in his career.

"I think he probably saw there’s a great opportunity for him at safety," Rodriguez said. "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.”

Sieg will forever be remembered as one of the legendary players in WPIAL football history, breaking the record for total yards (12,592) and touchdowns (139).

To truly understand how great a talent Sieg is, he becomes just the second recruit in the history of West Virginia football to be named a National Player of the Year, joining the great Robert Alexander back in 1976.

As previously mentioned, Sieg initially committed to Penn State. Once James Franklin was fired, he opened up his recruitment while remaining committed to the Nittany Lions and had a number of schools in heavy pursuit of him. In the weeks leading up to the early signing period, Indiana, Notre Dame, Pitt, and Virginia Tech — where Franklin landed — all came after him. Just days before he made his decision, Rich Rod and WVU made a strong late push and convinced him that Morgantown was the right place for him to be.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI