West Virginia is getting Brenen Lorient back, and that changes the look of the Mountaineers in a big way.
Lorient is set to return for a fifth year of eligibility after the court ruling in Colorado opened the door for the 2022 class, with the news first reported by On3. The move fits the path WVU had been leaving open for him, which is why Ross Hodge held a roster spot and why Lorient passed on playing professionally, whether that would have been in the NBA or overseas.
That said, the situation still isn’t fully settled. Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S.
District Court for the District of Colorado recently denied the NCAA’s appeal to overturn her original ruling on the class-wide injunction. The NCAA is now hoping the Tenth Circuit will reverse that decision and shut down anyone trying to come back for a fifth year.
Lorient and fellow WVU forward Javan Buchanan both filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in the U.S. District Court earlier this month, and there has not yet been a ruling in that case. If things go their way, both players would be eligible for the 2026-27 season.
For WVU, Lorient’s return has immediate roster implications. Seydou Traore may have to hand over No. 0, which Lorient wore last season, and he could also slide to the bench, where he would serve as the primary backup on the wing. Traore played the four at Utah last season, but he is better suited on the wing.
If Buchanan is also cleared, West Virginia’s frontcourt picture gets even stronger. Lorient and Mo Sylla would start at the four and five, with Buchanan, Amadou Seini, and Aliou Dioum giving the Mountaineers depth behind them.
Lorient was one of WVU’s steadiest players last season. In 34 games, he averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 54% from the field and 35% from three. He was the Mountaineers’ most consistent player all year and finished strong, helping them win the College Basketball Crown.
His game gives this roster exactly what it was missing in the starting five.
In Other News...
WVUs 2026 Backfield Already Has One Unsettling Camp Question
West Virginias backfield picture for 2026 already has a question mark hanging over it, and it centers on freshman running back SirPaul Cheeks. He is not currently listed on the roster, and the situation has only gotten murkier as summer has gone on, even though the Mountaineers still have two scholarship spots available and have been sorting through roster decisions tied to other players working through eligibility issues.
Rich Rodriguez has made it clear he is not going to push out current players to create room for fifth-year options or transfers, which only adds to the uncertainty around how the roster will settle. Cheeks also had been working back from an ACL injury, but with little recent update on his status, the larger concern is whether he is still on track to join the program at all, or whether the Mountaineers will have to plan around a backfield that may look different than expected before camp even fully takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginias Rebuilt Defense Faces Early Test Up Front
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For a unit still sorting out its identity, the early test comes up front, where the Mountaineers need the new personnel to come together quickly enough to handle the physical demands of camp. The staff has brought in bodies to compete and raise the floor, but the real questions are how fast the line can gel and which of the holdovers can stabilize a defense that has been rebuilt from the ground up. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Heads Into The Opener With Key Starting Jobs Still Unsettled
Rich Rodriguez used his final media session before next Wednesday to give a broad update on where West Virginia stands as the opener approaches, and the answer in several spots is still very much up in the air. He talked through position battles, player conditions and the way some players are shifting into coaching roles, while also clearing up a few eligibility questions and pointing to the progress made by transfers and younger players.
What stood out most was how much of the roster remains in competition mode even with game week here. Rodriguez stressed the technical side of football and the need for the Mountaineers to keep sharpening detail before the games begin, but he stopped short of settling every starting job, leaving a little mystery around how the lineup will look when the season finally kicks off. [Read more 🡒]