Can West Virginia Get Top Prospect Braydon Hawthorne Back on Board?

When Darian DeVries and his staff were in Morgantown they identified class of 2026 wing Braydon Hawthorne as not only the top player inside the state but as one of the top players in the country. They felt that strongly about him and it wasn't until late in the process when other schools started to take notice.

Following the departure of DeVries, Hawthorne requested and was granted release from his National Letter of Intent by West Virginia, allowing him to reconsider his options. Ever since, Power Four teams from all over have been making a push to land the rising star from Beckley. According to Jamie Shaw of On3 Sports, Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and a few others have been in pursuit, in addition to West Virginia.

New head coach Ross Hodge is expected to make a strong push to regain Hawthorne's pledge, with several conversations set to take place between the two sides in the coming days. While there's no guarantee of immediate playing time in Morgantown, Hawthorne's upside and potential should lead him to see significant time as a true freshman, especially on a roster that will be similar to the one DeVries built this past year.

Hawthorne took a visit to Virginia Tech earlier this week, where former WVU assistant head coach Chester Frazier was recently hired.

VT? 🦃 #notcommitted pic.twitter.com/oFVedFTc2U
— Braydon Hawthorne (@BraydonH20) April 1, 2025

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