Can WVU WR Signee Charlie Hanafin Be a Two-Way Player for the Mountaineers?

Another National Letter of Intent is in, and this time it comes from Massachusetts wide receiver Charlie Hanafin, who has been committed to the Mountaineers since late June.

WR Charlie Hanafin's Recruiting Profile

Follow him on X: @CHanafin15

Height: 6'2" Weight: 184

Hometown: Brookline, MA

High School: Dexter Southfield

Other offers: Boston College, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Dartmouth, Elon, Georgetown, New Hampshire, Penn, Richmond, Stony Brook, UMass, Yale.

Scouting Report

Hanafin is just a pure athlete, a pure football player. I don't see any one trait that just jumps off the tape, but he does everything well enough and is consistent. A crafty runner after the catch, who can find the quickest path to getting upfield without getting overly fancy with jukes, stutter steps, or spin moves, although he can pull it out his bag if necessary.

Rich Rod has mentioned a few times how he's told a handful of recruits that he's open to playing them both ways, and Hanafin, I would imagine, is one of them. He's played some corner and plays the position fairly well. His length and physicality can be a problem for opposing receivers. I think his future resides on the offensive side of the ball, but he can certainly hold his own on defense for a handful of snaps too.

Projected Playing Time

It may take Hanafin a little longer than others to see the field regularly because there are higher-end athletes in this class, and some pieces returning from this past year's team who are going to rank above him on the depth chart next fall. Defensively he could find his way onto the field earlier playing some nickel, assuming that is on the table. He's got the makeup of one of those players that may never post eye-popping numbers, but you know what you're going to get with him and will be a reliable target.

TUNE IN TONIGHT TO WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Later tonight, we will have our annual National Signing Day special on our YouTube Page (West Virginia On SI). Be sure to subscribe to the channel to get a notification the second the episode drops. On this year's show, we'll be joined by offensive lineman Camden Goforth and pass rusher Noah Tishendorf. We'll offer a full breakdown of the 2026 class, discussing who could contribute or start from day one, who may need some time to develop, under-the-radar signees, and what the remaining needs are for the Mountaineers in the transfer portal.