Two former Mountaineers have suddenly worked their way back into the picture for West Virginia, and both could matter as Ross Hodge pieces together the 2026-27 roster.
The names are Treysen Eaglestaff and Brenen Lorient, the two seniors from last season’s team who remain possible options for a return. Right now, WVU has only one roster spot open after Boise State transfer Javan Buchanan becomes eligible, unless the Tenth Circuit overturns Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s injunction that would grant the entire 2022 class a fifth year of eligibility.
If that ruling holds, the Mountaineers would be able to bring back either Lorient or Eaglestaff. If roster limits are expanded, both could come back.
Hodge addressed that possibility earlier this week.
“I think you’d probably look to start internally in that manner with players out of that pool that maybe you have some familiarity with; they have familiarity with you before you kind of just brought in someone new. There is a chance that, I guess you’d say, the landscape or the market could get inundated with a lot of talent here late in the summer."
Eaglestaff is the tougher fit on paper. He spent NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks but didn’t land a contract, and he could still choose to play another season somewhere else.
The issue for West Virginia is minutes. Joson Sanon and Seydou Traore are expected to handle a lot of the work at the three, while Butler transfer Finley Bizjack is set for heavy run at the two.
Eaglestaff could serve as Bizjack’s backup, but that role may not be appealing. Last season, he averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 39% from the field and 34% from deep.
If roster limits open up, he becomes a more realistic possibility. If they don’t, a return to Morgantown would come as a surprise.
Lorient looks like a much cleaner match. WVU had a vacancy at power forward, and he didn’t play in Summer League or sign any pro deal, which makes his path back feel even more open.
His athleticism, his ability to attack the rim and his occasional outside shooting all line up with what this roster could use. Based on the way the depth chart is shaping up, it would not be a shock if Lorient’s return happens soon.
In Other News...
West Virginia Suddenly Has A New Roster Question Across Three Sports
A fresh eligibility ruling out of Colorado has suddenly put West Virginia in an awkward spot across three sports, with a federal judge ordering the NCAA to grant an extra year to a broad group of athletes whose college clocks are about to run out. For the Mountaineers, the ripple effect could touch football, basketball and baseball, where roster planning is already tight and every scholarship spot matters.
The NCAA is expected to challenge the decision, but even the uncertainty is enough to complicate how West Virginia thinks about next season and beyond. If the injunction stands, the bigger question becomes how roster limits and revenue-sharing rules will be adjusted, and whether the Mountaineers will have to reshuffle plans on the fly while trying to keep their lineups intact. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Could Suddenly Have Some Unexpected Roster Decisions To Make
A federal ruling out of Colorado has put another roster wrinkle in front of college football programs, including West Virginia, by opening the door for some former players from the 2022 student-athlete class to chase an additional year of eligibility. Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that pauses the old NCAA framework for those athletes, creating a possible avenue for ex-Mountaineers to return to school if the decision holds.
For WVU, the timing matters because the NCAA is expected to appeal to the Tenth Circuit, and that process could stretch on for months before the picture clears. In the meantime, the Mountaineers may have to sort through an unexpected list of players who could become eligible again, a situation that can affect scholarship planning, depth charts and the broader shape of the roster well before fall camp gets here. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Secondary Suddenly Has A Bigger Question Than Fans Expected
West Virginias secondary was already shaping up as a key summer storyline, and Jason Chambers decision adds another layer to it. The starting cornerback spent last season as part of the Mountaineers rotation and gave the staff a veteran presence on the outside, which is why his place on the roster had figured into the conversation about how much experience would be back in the defensive backfield.
Now the focus shifts to who steps in around him, with the cornerback room suddenly looking thinner than expected. West Virginia still has options to sort through as it builds toward the upcoming season, but the departure changes the picture enough that the staff has to rework its plans and lean on a new lead option in a spot that was supposed to be more settled. [Read more 🡒]