Chams Diagne Strives to Fulfill ‘Hard Edge’ Commitment to West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sold on “Hard Edge” and wanting to play for Rich Rodriguez, WVU cornerback Chams Diagne plays with a style that will make him a fan favorite.

Delivering his first public comments since transferring to West Virginia in January after spending three of the last four years at Georgia State with a pitstop at a junior college in between, Diagne, now a redshirt senior, offered a preview of what WVU fans can expect from him throughout the 2026 season.

“Very physical,” the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Diagne said to describe his game. “I mean, we got Rich Rodriguez as a head coach. So you know, “Hard Edge” is a real thing. You got to bring it. You can’t play here being soft. So real physical,” he added.

Diagne even admitted that it didn’t take long for Rodriguez to sell him on becoming a Mountaineer.

“I think he [Rodriguez] hooked me on my visit. Just like his philosophy of football and the hard edge culture, that’s something that really stood out, and I knew I wanted to be a part of that because that’s going to help elevate my game in the long run. He was raw and uncut. He’s the same guy he was on the visit that he is now.”

Ready to take his game to another level his game now in the Big 12, Diagne made six tackles in 11 games upon his return to Georgia State in 2024 and then stepped up even more last season. He totaled 25 tackles, broke up three passes and picked off a pass against Ole Miss in 2025.

Making the jump from the Sun Belt to the Power Four level will always provide some degree of a learning curve, but Diagne’s frame means he’d likely fit best on the outside instead of earning snaps as a nickel or slot cornerback. After proving himself against the odds at every other stop in his college career to date, it will be interesting to see what kind of story Diagne can write during his college swan song.

Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.