West Virginia quietly filled out its 2026 roster with three late additions, giving Rich Rodriguez a little more depth as the team keeps sorting through the final pieces.
Rodriguez said Tuesday that the staff has been working to bring in young players who could develop into contributors. “We brought a couple of athletes in," Rodriguez said on Tuesday.
"They’re young guys that we think got a chance to play. We still have a spot or two.
We had a school tryout, and we still have a spot maybe to bring a guy in of the guys that have tried out. We may do that.
We’re kind of waiting to get through this week before we determine that part of it. We’re always on the look for players.
Now, we’re not looking at NFL rosters right now or any guys that just got cut.”
One of those additions is JUCO linebacker Destin Achi, who committed to West Virginia back at the end of July. It’s unclear exactly when he got to campus and started working with the team, but his fit with the program was clear to him from the start.
“From the first time I visited, I felt welcomed by the coaching staff and the players, and I could tell they genuinely believed in my potential. WVU has always been on my radar, and as I got to know the coaches and learned more about the program, it just felt like the right fit.
I really liked the culture, the opportunity to develop, and felt like it was the best place for me.”
Achi is stepping into a linebacker room that already has plenty of bodies, so game action this season looks unlikely unless special teams opens a door.
Another late roster update is Steffen, a two-sport athlete from Morton High School in Illinois who also played basketball. At 6'4", 200 lbs, he brings rare size to the table, and that gives Zac Alley a developmental piece to work with.
Arizona State and Purdue also showed interest in him this summer. Down the road, he could grow into a role somewhere, and possibly even at a different position as his frame fills out.
The third name is Flynn, who spent four years at Robert Morris but never appeared in a game. His addition gives West Virginia insurance behind Bryan Hansen at the position.
It is not about creating a battle for the job. Hansen is already the established option and has performed at an extremely high level during his time at Colorado State.
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Rick Brown, Mason Cerovac, Luke Linder, Roscoe Hayes and Wesley Flamer are also planning trips, with a mix of official and unofficial visits and even some neutral-site game appearances on the calendar. For West Virginia, the timing matters as much as the visits themselves, since these are the kinds of fall weekends that can shape how committed players and targets picture the program once the noise around the season starts to build. [Read more 🡒]