The 2027 NBA Draft already has the usual headliners coming into focus, and the freshman class will probably grab most of the attention. But there’s another layer to watch: returning seniors who have a real chance to work their way onto draft boards.
Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and Kentucky’s Milan Momcilovic are already among the top returnees in the country and could end up as first-round names in 2027. Beyond that group, a few more senior-season players are worth tracking, especially if they keep building on what they showed a year ago.
West Virginia’s honor roll starts with Honor Bizjack, who moved to Morgantown after three seasons at Butler. He arrives with a chance to fit into a strong Mountaineers roster that also includes five-star freshman Miles Sadler. Bizjack is listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, and he put together a productive 2025-26 season, averaging 17.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point range on more than six attempts per game.
The shot is the key here. Bizjack already showed he can light it up from deep, and that wasn’t a one-year fluke.
As a sophomore, he hit 42.8% from beyond the arc on more than four attempts per game. If he delivers another strong year from the perimeter, he has a path to getting into the 2027 NBA Draft conversation.
At Michigan State, Coen Carr is heading into his senior season after helping the Spartans get to the Sweet 16 in 2025-26 during his first year as a full-time starter. Carr’s production last season came with 12 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, along with shooting splits of 51.8% from the field and 27.6% from 3-point range. He’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, and his calling card is obvious: he’s a spectacular athlete who can turn a game with his explosiveness.
Carr’s dunks and blocks jump off the screen, and that kind of physical toolkit can translate to the NBA in a useful role. The next step is clear. If the jumper comes along, his stock could climb.
Virginia also has a senior worth watching in Elijah Lewis, who spent his first two college seasons at Toledo before transferring ahead of 2025-26. His first year with the Cavaliers was efficient and steady: 10.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 40.3% from 3-point range on more than four attempts per game. Over 100 NCAA games and 69 starts, he has connected on 41.7% of his threes on more than three attempts per game.
At 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, Lewis brings the kind of size and shooting combination that can make an NBA team take a longer look. If he keeps that perimeter touch intact, he’ll be one of the more intriguing senior prospects in the 2027 class.
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
West Virginias defense is almost unrecognizable from a year ago, with a near-complete turnover in the two-deep and a reworked front that now includes junior college and FBS additions at defensive line and bandit. As preseason practice ramps up and scrimmages begin, Rich Rodriguez is getting his first extended look at how the new pieces fit together, while a few returning veterans could be asked to step into bigger starting roles.
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 🡒]