West Virginia
TE Sam Hamilton Explains His Decision to Commit to West Virginia

Sam Hamilton, a tight end out of Cincinnati, Ohio, became the first commit in West Virginia’s 2026 recruiting class on Saturday. Hours later, the Mountaineers picked up a second pledge from Florida wide receiver Jeffar Jean-Noel.
Hamilton formed his relationship with WVU last year with Blaine Stewart, who is now the Mountaineers’ inside receivers coach. Once the new coaching staff took over, he connected with new tight ends coach Michael Nysewander and head coach Rich Rodriguez, who played a big role in his recruitment.
“Their culture and coaching staff is what influenced me the most,” Hamilton told West Virginia On SI. “My relationship with Coach Rod and Coach Nysewander is awesome. I believe in them and their system, team, and culture. Their style of offense goes hand in hand with me, and I know I can be a game changer in the offense.”
Hamilton’s receiving numbers aren’t going to floor you, but he does have the skill set to be a weapon in the passing game. He caught all 22 passes thrown in his direction this past season, totaling 272 yards and five touchdowns. The first thing you’ll notice when you flick on his film, though, is the physicality he brings as a blocker/pass protector.
“I love to put people in the dirt and go out and catch short or deep passes. I think my best attribute is my toughness and grit,” Hamilton said when describing his game.
He picked the Mountaineers over offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Duke, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kent State, Kentucky, Liberty, Miami (OH), Sacramento State, Toledo, UMass, Washington, and a handful of others.
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West Virginia
Morrisey says Supreme Court should reject Democrats’ legal challenge over House seat • West Virginia Watch

West Virginia’s attorney general says the Supreme Court should reject state Democrats’ legal challenge over a House of Delegates seat.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey has already appointed a Republican to fill the seat of Joseph de Soto, who was elected in November as Republican but registered as a Democrat shortly before he was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Speaker Speaker Roger Hanshaw and several other delegates.
The state Democratic Party argued that House Republicans, who voted to vacate de Soto’s seat, didn’t follow the proper Constitutional procedure and that there was legal precedent that the seat should go to Democrats due to de Soto’s party switch. They asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue, naming Morrisey in the filing.
In a new filing, State Attorney General JB McCuskey said the House of Delegates has the Constitutional authority to determine the qualifications of its members. House Republicans said de Soto wouldn’t be able to be sworn in due to his status on home confinement, prompting them to vacate his seat.
“Because the State Constitution vests the House with exclusive authority to judge its members’ qualifications, this Court has no authority to second-guess the House’s judgment that Mr. de Soto isn’t qualified to serve,” said McCusky, who submitted the filing on behalf of Morrisey. “Even if the Court had that authority, the House got it right when it found Delegate-Elect de Soto forfeited his seat.”
McCuskey, a Republican, also said that the state Democratic Party had no standing to sue Morrisey “because he didn’t cause their alleged harm, can’t fix their alleged harm, and has no duty to do what petitioners want.”
In response to the latest filing, state Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin, who is also a House of Delegates member, said the facts in the case support their side.
“Morrisey doesn’t argue the merits of the law in his response because he knows the law is on our side,” Pushkin said. “The facts are simple, Republicans followed the law in the past when it benefited them but now, when it doesn’t, they simply choose to ignore it. That is an insult to the rule of law and the constitution.”
The House resolution vacating de Soto’s seat ordered the Republican Executive Committee of Berkeley County to provide a shortlist of candidates to Morrisey for appointment to the seat.
The Republican governor appointed Ian Masters, an attorney and gun rights activist, to fill the seat for the 81st district, which represents a part of Berkeley County. The Regular 60-Day Session begins Feb. 12.
De Soto, who is from Gerrardstown, won a three-candidate Republican primary race last spring, winning against incumbent Don Forsht, R-Berkeley in the 91st district. There was no Democratic candidate in the November general election, but he faced competition from a Constitution Party candidate.
There are nine Democrats in the 100-member House after November election results.
West Virginia
West Virginia Suffers Major Loss to Pitching Staff for the 2025 Season

We’re about a week away from the start of the Steve Sabins era in Morgantown as he gets ready to take over the West Virginia baseball program after Randy Mazey built it into something West Virginians can be extremely proud of.
Unfortunately, the Mountaineers won’t be at full strength, but they’re pretty darn close to it. Their only long-term injury, as of now, is junior left-handed pitcher Maxx Yehl (6’6″, 235 lbs), who Sabins announced is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the fall.
“He was a key contributor last year. A left-handed pitcher that would have had a big role for us this season, but we knew that he’d be out for this season in the fall. He was our key, major loss for us,” Sabins stated. “(Infielder) Kyle West got hit by a pitch on Saturday in the wrist, but I think he’s doing better. He didn’t play Sunday, and he’s out Monday, but I think he should be fine by the time the season rolls around. Other than that, we’re in really good shape. This is one of the healthiest we’ve been going into a season.”
Yehl made 41 relief appearances over the past two seasons, pitching to the tune of a 3.77 ERA in 57.1 innings of work. He struck out 51 batters while walking 33, with opposing hitters batting .239 against him.
West Virginia will begin its season next Friday in Florida with a three-game series against Jacksonville University.
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West Virginia
Score Predictions for West Virginia at TCU

The West Virginia Mountaineers (14-7, 5-5) are back on the road to take on the TCU Horned Frogs Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
Since their Big 12 opener against Arizona, where the Horned Frogs scored 81 points, they’ve struggled to see the ball go through the hoop. They’re averaging 62.5 points per contest since, and now, they’re welcoming in one of the best defensive teams in the country, West Virginia, who just got their confidence back on Sunday with a win at Cincinnati.
WVU guard Sencire Harris had an extra bounce in his step on Sunday, and it was evident from the jump. That added juice helped fuel West Virginia’s defense, and I expect much of the same tonight. The last thing Darian DeVries wants is for TCU to come out and throw the first four or five punches and fall behind by double digits early. Aside from the Cincinnati game, slow starts have been a theme for WVU lately, and when you’re facing a desperate team like TCU, those dreadful starts are unacceptable.
This one won’t be pretty as far as offense is concerned, but Darian DeVries could care less about style points. Get the win and get out.
Prediction record: 14-7
West Virginia has lost three-straight to TCU and has not won in Fort Worth since the 2020-21 season.
Much-like West Virginia’s matchup against Cincinnati on Sunday, on paper, the two teams are similar. However, neither Cincinnati or TCU has a Big 12 Player of the Year contender on the roster like WVU has in senior guard Javon Small.
Small missed double figures a week ago against Houston but bounced back with 19 points against Cincinnati, and the senior got help off the bench from senior guard Joseph Yesufu, who went a perfect 6-6 from the field, including 4-4 from behind the arc.
West Virginia will need one or more supporting role players to step up and there are plenty of options. Finding consistency outside of Small since senior forward Tucker DeVries has been sideline with an injury has been an issue. However, when the Mountaineers put in a defensive effort for a full 40 minutes, they’ve been tough to beat.
The defensive message may have sunk in with this group after the loss to Houston a week ago and the competitive nature of Small makes this Mountaineer team tough to beat.
Small continues to prove he is the best player in the Big 12 while the Mountaineers prove they have one of the better defenses. WVU ends losing streak against TCU, 72-62.
Prediction record: 14-7
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