The No. 3 Player in 2027 and WVU Are More Connected Than Most Realize

In the 2026 recruiting class, West Virginia landed a pair of teammates from Bella Vista Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona, in guard Miles Sadler and forward Aliou Dioum. To perhaps build on that pipeline, they've been in contact with 2027 big man Paul Osaruyi (6'10", 220 lbs), who is also a part of that team and is ranked as the third-best player in the country for his recruiting class, per ESPN.

Following a big game from Sadler in the Avance Global Cup, where he posted 21 points, 12 assists, two rebounds, and 14 steals (not a typo), Osaruyi posted on his Instagram story, "Best PG in the mf world!"

Come play in Morgantown with him Paul @OsaruyiPaul pic.twitter.com/KiNI4tLzk0
— WVU Barstool (@WVUBarstool) January 29, 2026

Sadler truly is a special player who can impact winning on both ends of the floor. There's a reason why he is widely regarded as one of the best guards in the country and will come to West Virginia as the highest-rated recruit in program history...for now.

If WVU assistant Yusuf Ali, who played a key role in landing Sadler and Dioum, can also scoop up Osaruyi, he would then surpass Sadler as the top recruit in school history. Now, of course, the Mountaineers are going to have a ton of competition on the recruiting trail with the likes of Arizona State, Arkansas, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Duke, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Houston, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, Texas, UCLA, USC, Utah, Virginia, and many others in heavy pursuit.

That relationship with Ali, Sadler, and Dioum, however, could give West Virginia a slight edge over the others because he knows the type of program he'll be coming into and will play with guys he is already familiar with.

In the Nike EYBL circuit last spring, Osaruyi averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, two steals, and two assists per game. He's not much of a three-point threat at this point in his career, but is elite with the ball in the paint and can offer some serious rim protection — two things this year's WVU team is clearly lacking.

Ali, Hodge, Sadler, and Dioum will make a serious push to try to bring Osaruyi to Morgantown.

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