West Virginia Loses 2026 Defensive Back Commit, Flips to Louisville

The Mountaineers lose to Ohio and now lose a recruit.

Taj Powelll

It's been one of those types of weekends for West Virginia. As if losing to Ohio wasn't bad enough, they're now impacted in the recruiting space.

Moments ago, the Mountaineers just lost a piece of their 2026 recruiting class as defensive back Taj Powell (6'3", 205 lbs) of Springfield, Ohio, announced that he has flipped his commitment to Louisville.

Taj is the younger brother of Jonathan Powell, who played his true freshman season at WVU on the men's basketball team before transferring to North Carolina this offseason.

Despite the loss of Powell, the Mountaineers still have a number of defensive backs committed in the 2026 class and will likely add a few veterans via the transfer portal in the winter. WVU's secondary is full of seniors, so they'll have to bring in some experienced pieces to complement the young crop of talent they are bringing in.

This weekend will be a huge recruiting weekend for West Virginia with several recruits expected to be on hand for the Backyard Brawl. Yes, the loss to Ohio stings, but the program can regain some of its offseason momentum with a win over Pitt and make a big impression on the recruits in attendance. I will get a list compiled over the coming days of which recruits are expected to be in attendance and post it here on our website once we get closer to game day.

West Virginia and Pitt are scheduled to kick things off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. You can also listen to the game on the Mountaineer Sports Network.

Updated 2026 WVU Football Recruiting Class

QB Jyron Hughley

RB SirPaul Cheeks

RB Christopher Talley

RB Jett Walker

WR Robert Stith

WR Malachi Thompson

TE Sam Hamilton

OL Lamarcus Dillard

OL Justyn Lyles

OL Rhett Morris

OL Camden Goforth

DL Cameron Mallory

EDGE Noah Tishendorf

LB Antoine Sharp

LB Miles Khatri

CB Vincent Smith

CB Emari Peterson

CB Simaj Hill

S Aaron Edwards

S Jaylon Jones

S Cam Dwyer

S Emory Snyder

S Rickey Giles

S Charlie Hanafin

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