A major ruling Friday night could open the door for six former West Virginia football players to suit up again in 2026, though the legal process is not finished yet.
Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction to members of the 2022 class who had already exhausted their eligibility under the old NCAA rules. The decision would give every student-athlete who played four seasons in four years one more year of eligibility, matching what every student-athlete will have going forward.
There’s still a long way to go before that becomes reality. Legal expert Sam C.
Ehrlich noted that the NCAA is expected to appeal to the Tenth Circuit, a move that could overturn the ruling. Even if that happens, it may not play out for months, meaning the football season could already be over by then.
The ruling would still affect basketball, baseball, and other sports.
If the decision holds, six former WVU players could be in line for another season, whether back in Morgantown or somewhere else.
One of them is the West Virginia native who transferred in from Jacksonville State and played in 10 games for the Mountaineers last season. He caught nine passes for 69 yards and was viewed as WVU’s top blocking option at the position.
Another is Kelly, who told West Virginia On SI earlier this week that he planned to seek another year through the courts and would want to return to WVU if granted that chance. He played in 10 games last season and finished with 25 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks. With this ruling, a return to the roster would seem likely.
The Appalachian State transfer also had a strong season as a starting corner, finishing with 34 tackles, three tackles for loss, and an interception. At times, his size worked against him, but he still managed to stay in position to make plays or at least keep explosive gains from happening.
Crutcher’s role was much smaller. He appeared in only four games last season, and all 48 of his snaps came in mop-up duty against Robert Morris, Kansas, Utah, and UCF.
Perry may have been the Mountaineers’ most disruptive defender last season, bringing big hits, chaos, and pressure as a blitzer. If he comes back to WVU, the secondary would gain more flexibility, with Geimere Latimer able to slide to corner or the two rotating at nickel/sam.
Then there’s Straw, whose future is less clear. He seems to want to play somewhere in 2026, but West Virginia already brought in Colorado State transfer Bryan Hansen through the portal.
Hansen averaged 47.9 yards per punt last season, while Straw averaged 42.5. After four years of solid work, Hansen looks like the favorite to handle the job in 2026.
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 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 🡒]