The West Virginia football program has landed another versatile piece on the defensive side of the ball with a commitment from Springfield (Oh.) 2026 athlete Taj Powell.
Powell, 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, picked the Mountaineers over an offer from Kentucky.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect received an offer from West Virginia Jan. 24 and things only picked up from that point with multiple visits to Morgantown including most recently March 27 for an unofficial visit.
Nickels/sams coach Henry Weinreich served as the lead recruiter for Powell along with head coach Rich Rodriguez and he was able to develop a comfort level with the staff over the past several months. That led to Powell announcing his decision to commit to the Mountaineers.
The coaching staff is targeting Powell at the nickels/sams position and was impressed with his aggression off the edge as well as how physical he is on the defensive side of the ball. Powell also has the ability to drop in coverage and be effective in that department as well.
Powell becomes the sixth commitment for West Virginia in the 2026 class and the second that could potentially end up at defensive back along with Bixby (Okla.) athlete Emory Snyder.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Powell and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Powell has excellent size and length which he uses effectively in a variety of ways on the defensive side of the ball. Overall, his ability to fill multiple positions makes him an intriguing prospect given what he already demonstrates at the high school level.
He possesses excellent burst off the line of scrimmage when lined up around the ball and is aggressive in his pursuit. A physical tackler, Powell plays to his size in the run game and is able to avoid blockers to get the ball carrier to the ground.
On top of his physical element, Powell demonstrates the ability to be effectively used in coverage and play in space although he is likely more suited for a box role at the next level.
Fitting the program:
Powell has been to West Virginia multiple times including for a junior day visit and a spring practice under the current coaching staff. He also is familiar with Morgantown given the fact his brother Jonathan Powell played for the Mountaineers as a true freshman on the basketball team.
That should mean there won’t be any sort of adjustment in what to expect as well as familiarizing himself with the coaches seeing them up close in action this spring.
Powell has the ability to slide around and play multiple spots depending on how he continues to develop and it’s clear that versatility is something that made him an attractive fit for the program. Powell could grow into an outside linebacker type or remain as a nickel where he can use his combination of size and speed.
The state of Ohio has long been a critical recruiting area for the Mountaineers and Powell is just the latest example of the program mining the state for talent. Powell had a strong comfort level with the coaching staff and the campus and that made this decision a well-thought out choice at this stage.
Recruiting the position:
Now even with two defensive backs in the 2026 class you can expect the Mountaineers to remain aggressive when it comes to targeting key options in order to fill out the roster. West Virginia is set to welcome a number of defensive backs in the summer for official visits, some of which have already visited campus. Still, with multiple spots in the backend and the coaching staff prioritizing versatility there is room for further additions.
West Virginia is looking to find players that can fill multiple roles and both of the additions so far in the defensive backfield do that so it’s likely more of that same quality will be targeted moving forward.
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