Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny 2026 defensive lineman Lincoln Hoke made the visit down to West Virginia for a spring practice and left campus with a new scholarship offer from the Mountaineers.
Hoke, 6-foot-2, 260-pounds, was able to tour all the facilities while on campus and was impressed. Then he was able to take in practice to see the type of intensity that head coach Rich Rodriguez demands.
“Everything there was extremely nice and sets you up for a special experience …” he said. “Watching practice, I could really see the culture that Coach Rodriguez is building there.”
That was the first visit to Morgantown for Hoke, who was thrilled to add the Mountaineers to his list of scholarship offers which also includes Pittsburgh and several others.
During his time on campus, Hoke spoke to a number of different coaches but was especially impressed with getting to sit down with Rodriguez.
“He expressed how impressed he was with my game and that I am the type of guy that he needs. Talking with him was awesome and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “He has that old-school intense mentality that I am all about.”
The Keystone State product also spent time with defensive line coach William Green, and he was able to go over some of the things he was coaching as well as the strengths of Hoke and how he could fit into the scheme. Overall, he enjoyed the fact that each of the coaches made him feel welcome.
West Virginia is targeting Hoke as either a defensive tackle or nose and that is where he believes will be his best fit at the next level as he continues to develop.
The trip was the first experience for the Rivals.com three-star prospect at West Virginia, but he doesn’t anticipate it being his last.
“The school and everything around it was awesome. I definitely think I will be back to visit,” he said.
The plan is for him to figure out when that next trip will be but in the meantime this trip certainly answered many of the questions that he had about the Big 12 Conference program.
Hoke plans to base his eventual decision on the school that really wants him and where he will have the support of the coaches and his teammates.
“That relationship is really big for me,” he said.
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