WVU Football Welcomed 2026 3-Star DB Initially Recruited by Old Staff Back for Visit

A recruit the WVU football program remains interested in despite the coaching transition from Neal Brown to Rich Rodriguez was back in Morgantown for another visit. Dorian Rutledge, a three-star defensive back out of Delaware, spent time at the facility on Friday.

Rutledge (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) was one of the first players Brown’s staff reached out to last year when recruiting for 2026. But even with Rodriguez now back in charge and whole new staff of coaches representing the Mountaineers, West Virginia has continued to recruit Rutledge.

Rutledge mentioned WVU assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Zac Alley and cornerbacks coach Rod West in his post about his trip.

Can’t wait to be back in Morgantown tomorrow! @CoachRodWest @RealCoachRod @CoachZAlley @CoachGF628 @WVUfootball @WVSIRecruiting pic.twitter.com/mdCr2ZPCaj

— Dorian{Dor} Rutledge (@dorian_rutledge) April 11, 2025

A product of Middletown High School, Rutledge is ranked as a top five player in his state and viewed as a safety by Rivals, 247 Sports and On3 Sports.

Akron, Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Pitt and UConn are the programs who have been after Rutledge about as long as WVU. He’s also attracted attention from Charlotte, Virginia Tech and several others recently.

How do I look Mountaineer fans💙💛🏔️???, Thank you @WVUfootball for the great hospitality/visit , @_CoachCod@CoachChadScott @NealBrown_WVU@trey_neyer @Backendcoach12@EdOBrienCFB @coachjohnson302@MiddletownFB @ZacharyBlum1 pic.twitter.com/JCTp63jkGV

— Dorian{Dor} Rutledge (@dorian_rutledge) January 15, 2024

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