The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has added another versatile piece to the defensive backfield with a Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s 2026 defensive back Simaj Hill.
Hill, 6-foot-1, 180-pounds, selected the Mountaineers over offers from N.C. State, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Connecticut, Liberty and James Madison, among others.
Hill initially committed to James Madison April 15 but continued to receive scholarship offers including one from West Virginia a little over a month later when cornerbacks coach Rod West visited his school.
Hill took an official visit to West Virginia over the weekend and that trip was enough for him to cast his lot with the Mountaineers giving the program a versatile defensive back.
West Virginia could play Hill at either cornerback and safety, and he is coming off a year where he had 22 pass breakups and an interception in the defensive backfield.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Hill and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Hill is a fluent defensive back that is simply smooth in his role. He has excellent size and length as either a cornerback or a safety and displays the ability to break on the football when it’s in the air. He recovers well and displays the speed to cover as well as the understanding to position himself. The 2026 prospect runs well with opposing wide receivers and has the length to matchup down the field.
Hill isn’t afraid to come up and hit either as a defensive back showing a physical element to his game both in coverage and when asked to tackle. There is a lot to like here about his skill set.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia is going to need quite a few defensive backs to be able to step into an immediate role considering between the cornerbacks, safeties and nickels the program will have to replace at least 12 of the 24 players due to graduation following the season. Hill has the flexibility to slide around to play either cornerback or safety, which opens up even more doors for him at the next level.
This is a player that West Virginia was able to see in person during the evaluation period and offer him a scholarship, which is a good testament on how he is valued.
Hill comes from a powerhouse program in Philadelphia which has produced plenty of good players over the years which should have prepared him for the challenges of the Big 12. The Mountaineers have long recruited Pennsylvania and that won’t be stopping anytime in the near future. This addition is just the latest in that area.
Recruiting the position:
As noted above, West Virginia needs to replace a big chunk of the current roster after they exhaust their eligibility at the end of the next year. That means that the Mountaineers are going to need quite a bit of help in order to fill out the roster and even with Hill in the picture the program is going to need more help.
West Virginia should continue to remain active targeting both cornerbacks and safeties in order to fill out the class adding both athleticism and speed to the roster.
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