WVU Freshman RB Recognized as One of the Best in the '26 Class & It's Not You Think

Another young running back Mountaineer fans need to keep an eye on in 2026.

Christopher Talley

When it comes to the revamped West Virginia running back room, it's easy to see Cam Cook as this year's workhorse and true freshman Amari Latimer as "the dude" in waiting. Latimer is an elite talent who has the build of an NFL back already, meaning he will find a role in the offense right away.

There is one other true freshman that isn't being talked about nearly enough, and it could be one of the reasons why the Mountaineers didn't add a second running back out of the transfer portal.

Enter Memphis, TN native Chris Talley.

Earlier this week, ESPN's Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill went through every position and listed their top players in the 2026 class. Somewhat surprisingly, Talley was their "three-star sleeper."

"Talley is a prototypical scatback who wins with speed and explosiveness in spread offenses built on zone running schemes. West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez found success with similar backs in Steve Slaton and Noel Devine in the past. Talley won't pound the rock between the tackles, but he's a home run threat once he hits the crease and gets out into the perimeter."

Talley picked West Virginia over offers from Arkansas, Cincinnati, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Memphis, and Pitt, just to name a few.

Depending on how Latimer and JUCO product Martavious Boswell perform, Talley may find a way to sneak into the rotation at some point this upcoming season.

My scout from signing day on Talley

Christopher Talley

Speed, speed, speed, and more speed. What is most impressive is how he can make a sudden change of direction and not show any signs of deceleration. The key for defenses is going to be to funnel him inside the tackles, where they can clog up running lanes, because once he gets out into open space, it's pretty much game over. He wasn't heavily involved in the pass game, so it's a little tough to judge how well he catches it, but assuming he's capable, as most backs are, he can be a real weapon in the screen and underneath game. Despite his size, he does have good contact balance. It's not as easy as laying a shoulder into him, and he's going to the ground. Not a power back by any means, but can rip through some tackles thanks to his speed.

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