The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has added more athleticism at the linebacker position after flipping the commitment of West Palm Beach (Fla.) Palm Beach Central 2026 linebacker Antoine Sharp.
Sharp, 6-foot-1, 220-pounds, initially committed to UCF in April but took an official visit to West Virginia over the weekend which led to his decision to change his pledge.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect picked the Mountaineers over other scholarship offers from Florida State, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Indiana and more.
Sharp had long been on the West Virginia radar after the program extended him a scholarship offer Jan. 29 from defensive coordinator Zac Alley. He quickly set up an official visit to campus, but after his initial pledge to UCF that trip didn’t seem as if it would occur.
That changed this past weekend as Sharp made the visit to Morgantown and flipped his pledge to the Big 12 Conference program after discussions with his family.
Sharp is the 13th commitment for West Virginia in the 2026 recruiting class and the latest in a series of prospects that the program has flipped from other schools.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Sharp and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Sharp is an athletic linebacker that brings impressive speed at the position. He is an aggressive linebacker that can get downhill quickly and looks like he is shot out of a rocket. Possesses a good frame that could carry more weight and moves well for his size displaying the ability to drop into coverage and play in space.
Sharp displays the ability to diagnose run plays and is crafty at putting himself in position to get to ballcarriers. West Virginia has been looking to add more athletic players at the position and Sharp fits that bill as a linebacker that brings versatility to the table.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia was able to land the commitment of Sharp after he was able to come to Morgantown on a visit and see it in person. That is a good indication of his comfort level not only with the coaching staff but their plan for how he could be utilized within the defensive scheme.
There is versatility to his game and that is going to lends itself to him finding a way on the field early in his career if he proves capable of handling the adjustment to the college game. Linebacker is a spot that is going to experience some turnover heading into the next season with several players set to depart due to graduation and Sharp helps to fill a need for the program in this recruiting cycle.
Florida has been and will remain a key recruiting territory for West Virginia, and it helps that Sharp has a teammate that is already committed to the program in Wellington (Fla.) Palm Beach Central 2026 linebacker Cameron Dwyer. All of those factors combined makes this a strong fit all around.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia has been adding up on athleticism at the linebacker position and Sharp certainly brings that to the table along with some of the other additions at the spot. Still, even with several linebackers in the fold it’s likely that the Mountaineers aren’t quite done when it comes to adding at the position.
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