Rich Rodriguez Gushes Over Bringing Headliner of 2026 Class OL Kevin Brown to West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Rich Rodriguez immediately started smiling when asked about his headline recruit of his 2026 class. A “tell me about Kevin Brown” question got the 62-year-old longtime coach as excited as if it was his first day on the job all over again.

“He’s everything you want in a football player and everything you want in a guy as well,” responded Rodriguez to describe what he loves about Brown so much.

Rodriguez even referred to Brown as a “monster” and called recruiting him a “no-brainer” as well.

Rodriguez then explained that he knew he had to make Brown a Mountaineer when he watched him lift weights during his visit, something most recruits shy away from doing before actually joining the team.

WVU HC Rich Rodriguez on recruiting top OL Kevin Brown: "He's everything you want in a football player and everything you want in a guy as well."

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) December 3, 2025

A four-star recruit out of Harrisburg High School, Brown committed to Penn State in July of 2024 and then flipped to West Virginia live on the Pat McAfee Show two weeks ago. Brown ending up as a Mountaineer brings his football journey full circle for his family. His dad played for Rich Rodriguez during his first WVU tenure.

For an historical context, Brown now becomes WVU football’s highest rated national recruit since Noel Devine.

But beyond the legacy connection, West Virginia pursuing Brown so hards makes sense on the field above all else.

As a prospect, Brown is rated as the No. 2 in Pennsylvania in his class via 247 Sports’ Composite Rankings and a top 10 offensive tackle in the country.

Brown also visited Ohio State and had offers from major brands like Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Wisconsin among others.

Find more coverage of WVU football recruiting on WV Sports Now.