West Virginia

West Virginia Mountaineers: Commitment 101: Charlie Hanafin

Published

8 months ago

June 21, 2025

West Virginia Mountaineers: Commitment 101: Charlie Hanafin

The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has landed a commitment from one of the stands out of the summer camp circuit in Burlington (Ma.) Dexter Southfield 2026 wide receiver Charlie Hanafin.

Hanafin, 6-foot-2, 184-pounds, picked the Mountaineers over scholarship offers from Boston College, Massachusetts, Brown, Yale, New Hampshire, Richmond, Georgetown and a number of others.

Hanafin moved on the Mountaineers radar after an impressive camp stop in Morgantown where he earned a scholarship offer from the program following the event. Wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett served as the lead recruiter for Hanafin after working with him throughout the camp.

Hanafin returned to Morgantown for an official visit to West Virginia June 18-20 and that trip proved to be enough for him to end his recruitment with a commitment.

Hanafin becomes the second commitment for West Virginia at the wide receiver position in the 2026 class joining Niceville (Fla.) 2026 wide receiver Robert Stith.

WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Hanafin and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.

Skill set:

Hanafin is a skilled wide receiver that runs good routes and demonstrates the ability to consistently get open. Has a good frame to work with and displays the ability to win in jump ball situations. Hanafin plays the game in a refined manner and was one of the most impressive prospects on the summer camp circuit for West Virginia in the month of June.

Hanafin shined in one-on-one and competition drills and flashed plus athleticism as well the ability to consistently come down with the football. West Virginia needed to add wide receivers to the class and Hanafin is a prospect that proved his competitiveness in front of the coaching staff with a highly impressive camp performance. This is one that has a lot of upside moving forward.

Fitting the program:

Hanafin earned his offer from West Virginia after showcasing what he could do in a camp setting and made the most of his opportunity to compete. His skill set could allow him to slot into several of the wide receiver roles for West Virginia showcasing the ability to win with his route running as well as his athleticism. The wide receiver room is going to experience turnover at the end of the 2025 season with several prospects cycling through their eligibility as well as several juniors to be gone the next.

That means that identifying and landing some talented options at the position was a necessity in this class and Hanafin earned that opportunity by proving what he can do.

Massachusetts hasn’t necessarily been a prime recruiting area for West Virginia in recent years, but this coaching staff has proven that they will go anywhere in this new era to land talent. Couple the fact that Hanafin comes from a family with other division one athletes and this is a strong add all around.

Recruiting the position:

West Virginia now has two true wide receivers in the 2026 class but the Mountaineers are still actively targeting a number of others in order to round out the position in this cycle. Expect that to continue as the program has been targeting versatile athletes that can fill roles both outsides and inside

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West Virginia

West Virginia Surrenders Six-Run Lead, Falls in Series Finale to Kennesaw State

Published

1 hour ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

West Virginia Surrenders Six-Run Lead, Falls in Series Finale to Kennesaw State

West Virgnia built a six-run lead through five and half innings, but the Kennesaw State Owls (5-5) scored seven unanswered runs in three frames to knock off the Mountaineers (8-2) Sunday afternoon 7-6.

West Virginia captured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after sophomore Matt Ineich hit a leadoff single before sophomore Gavin Kelly and senior Paul Schoenfeld were issued walks to load the bases with two outs on the board. Then, redshirt freshman Ryan Maggy line a two-RBI single to centerfield in his first career start.

The Mountaineers extended their lead in the second when Kelly hit a three went opposite field for a three-run home run, his first of the season, for a 5-0 advantage.

West Virginia starting southpaw pitcher Maxx Yehl threw five scoreless innings. The redshirt junior recorded four strikeouts on the day and limited the Owls to four hits.

Kelly added a run in the sixth, clearing the centerfield wall for his second home run of the afternoon and a 6-0 WVU lead.

Redshirt sophomore Bryson Thacker took the mound in the six. After a high and wide throw on a ground ball, a walk, and with two outs, junior Cooper Williams drooped an RBI single in right field to put the Owls on the board. Then, a pitch in the dirt rolled to the backstop to add another run, closing the gap to four, 6-2.

Carson Estridge was handed the ball in the seventh. The senior right-hander gave up a leadoff double before registering the next two outs, including a strikeout, before freshman McCollum line an RBI single just out of the reach of the glove of Kelly. Senior Jackson Chirello cut the deficit one, hammering the 3-1 pitch well over the right field wall and into the Waffle House parking lot for a two-run home run.

West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins turned to the clubhouse leader in saves David Perez to get the Mountaineers out of the inning. The freshman returned to the mound in the eighth. Senior Jamarie Brooks reached after hitting a sharp ground ball over to first that went between the legs of senior Ben Lumsden. Then, Williams blasted a two-run home run and a 7-6 Owls lead.

In the ninth, senior Matthew Graveline nearly tied the game with the swing of the bat, driving 0-2 pitch off the top of the left field wall for a one-out double to put the Mountaineers into scoring position. However, redshirt senior Harry Cain sat the last two Mountaineer hitters to collect his second win of the season as the Owls completed the comeback with the 7-6 decision.

West Virginia is back in action on Tuesday for the first of a two-game series against Radford. Game one and game two (Weds) are both scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the all the action will stream on ESPN+.

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West Virginia

Delegate Larry Kump, master of various catch phrases, has died – WV MetroNews

Published

13 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Delegate Larry Kump of Berkeley County has died, state officials announced. Kump was 78 years old.

Larry Kump

Kump, a Republican, served in the House from 2010 to 2014, again from 2018 to 2020 and finally 2022 to the present. He had announced plans to run again in the coming electoral cycle.

“As a battle-tested and liberty minded Christian and Constitutional Conservative, my consecrated action principles of good governance remains solid and steadfast,” he wrote to supporters in January.

He had been serving in the ongoing legislative session, but had been absent in recent weeks.

The daily prayer in the House of Delegates this past Wednesday included an expression of concern for Kump: “A special prayer for Delegate Larry Kump. Lord, you know where he is in the hospital now, and I pray right now that you would send your angels there to touch him, to be with him.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kump’s death on social media, calling Kump “a devoted public servant who dedicated many years of his life to improving West Virginia.

“Delegate Kump served with a deep commitment to the principles he believed would strengthen our communities and protect our freedoms.

“On behalf of the First Lady and myself, we extend our condolences to Larry’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. His legacy of service and his love for our state will never be forgotten.”

Secretary of State Kris Warner also posted condolences to Kump’s family. “Larry was a conservative Christian and a true Mountaineer! He will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues,” Warner posted.

The West Virginia Democratic Party also put out a statement to offer condolences, saying Kump’s work reflected a lifelong commitment to accountability, public policy, and the effective administration of government.

“Delegate Larry Kump devoted his life to his family, his community, and to his state. He brought experience, independence and thoughtfulness to his role, and he never lost sight of the people he served,” said Mike Pushkin, the Democratic Party chairman who is also a delegate from Kanawha County.

Kump was known for his turns of phrase, for example kicking off his comments on the House floor with “Great googly moogly” for emphasis. He often described his adoration for his “beloved and bodacious wife Cheryl.”

He regularly concluded interactions and written communications this way: “Meanwhile, and for sure and for certain, may God bless you all real good!”

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West Virginia

Vape Safety Act of 2026 passes W.Va. House, tightening oversight and licensing for shops

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Vape Safety Act of 2026 passes W.Va. House, tightening oversight and licensing for shops

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — The Vape Safety Act of 2026 passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Friday, aiming to crack down on what lead sponsor of the bill Del. David McCormick, R-Monongalia, said are the bad actors in the vape shop world.

“They’re very lightly regulated,” McCormick said. “Here’s something that is becoming a blight on our landscape out here in our neighborhoods and towns. They’re all over the state and they need some oversight.”

McCormick said the bill will also strengthen licensing as to who can run the shops.

A key part of the legislation that passed the House by a vote of 88-5 is an FDA registry, requiring all the products sold in the shops to be approved at the federal level.

“Make sure that something doesn’t have 30 times the nicotine in it that it’s supposed to, which has happened, and get a 12-year-old kid addicted to nicotine,” McCormick. “That’s buying something that looks like Pokémon.”

Cracking down on the marketing strategies vape shops use is also included in the bill. It has gained support from both sides of the aisle.

“You walk into them and they have you know it looks fun and all the flavors and all the things,” Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha said. “So when teens go in there, it’s geared towards teens. So I think some regulation is important.”

Other provisions include vape shops not being allowed within 300 feet of schools, libraries or churches.

“I would deem these things almost attractive nuisance for kids and teenagers,” Lewis said. “What we want to do in this piece of legislation, we want to ultimately, above anything else, is protect our children and to get rid of bad actors to make sure that we know what’s being sold in the shop and we know who’s selling it.”

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