West Virginia Battling Big Ten School for 2026 Disruptive Defensive Lineman JD Hill

Winning produces good feelings, but in college football, it generates things way beyond that, such as belief in a program and its future.

Last weekend, West Virginia hosted roughly 30 recruits for a visit, and the win, plus the atmosphere created from the 54,000+ on hand, put the Mountaineers in a great spot to potentially add to their 2026 class in the near future.

One of those recruits WVU fans need to keep a close eye on is defensive lineman JD Hill (6'2", 275 lbs) from Mission Viejo, California. He informed West Virginia On SI that the Mountaineers are in his top two, along with Washington, whom he is set to visit ahead of signing day.

"It was good, loved it over there," Hill said of his visit to Morgantown. "The team's generosity was amazing, and in the game vs. Colorado, the defense was electric."

Hill also informed me that he does not plan on waiting until the early signing period (December 3rd) to reveal his destination and will look to make that call after his trip to Washington.

In ten games this season, Hill has put up some ridiculous numbers, which is why his recruitment has blown up over the last couple of months. He's registered 99 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 18 hurries, and 13 sacks.

Back in late July, Hill committed to Northern Arizona, but has since picked up offers from Kansas State, Utah, Arizona State, Miami (FL), Oregon State, Colorado, UCLA, and, of course, West Virginia and Washington.

Updated 2026 WVU Football Recruiting Class

QB: Jyron Hughley, Wyatt Brown

RB: SirPaul Cheeks, Christopher Talley

WR: Robert Oliver, Malachi Thompson, Charlie Hanafin, Keon Hutchins

TE: Sam Hamilton, Kade Bush

OL: Lamarcus Dillard, Justyn Lyles, Rhett Morris, Camden Goforth, Aidan Woods

DL: Cameron Mallory

EDGE: Noah Tishendorf, Carter Kessler, Kamdon Gillespie

LB: Antoine Sharp, Miles Khatri, Cam Dwyer

CB: Vincent Smith, Emari Peterson, Simaj Hill, Makhi Boone

S: Emory Snyder, Rickey Giles, Jayden Ballard

Updated 2026 WVU Football Recruiting Class

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