West Virginia Mountaineers: Commitment 101: Malachi Thompson

The West Virginia Mountaineers football program has landed a commitment from Nitro (W.Va.) 2026 wide receiver Malachi Thompson.

Thompson, 6-foot-5, 200-pounds, picked the Mountaineers over scholarship offers from Marshall, Ohio, Temple, Toledo and Miami (Oh.). Those schools represented his top five prior to West Virginia jumping into the mix with a scholarship offer following an impressive performance at the 7-on-7.

During the event Thompson was able to routinely get open and made a number of big catches in helping lead his Wildcats deep into a deep run in the tournament.

Wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett served as the lead recruiter for Thompson, and he also built a relationship with head coach Rich Rodriguez.

The in-state prospect is coming off a season where he hauled in 74 passes for 1,590 yards and 18 touchdowns and was selected as the Randy Moss Award winner last year.

Thompson is slated to play outside wide receiver for the Mountaineers although he could move around to play multiple spots at the position.

Thompson is the latest in a string of commitments for West Virginia and gives the Mountaineers one of the best players in the state in the 2026 class.

WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Thompson and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.

Skill set:

Thompson is a big wide receiver with a good frame. He is a crafty route runner and has a knack for getting open both down the field and on intermediate patterns. The pass catcher utilizes his size well to go up and get the football and catches the ball well with his hands.

Thompson is a smooth athlete at the wide receiver position and has added good weight to his frame from when I was able to see him the first time. This is a prospect that was able to have success against every team he matched up against in the 7-on-7 format and is coming off a monster year at the high school level as well. West Virginia was able to eyeball Thompson in person and made the decision to extend a scholarship offer and eventually seal the deal on his pledge.

There is upside here as he continues to develop and while not a burner, showcased the ability to consistently make plays regardless where he was lined up on the field.

Fitting the program:

Thompson earned a scholarship offer from West Virginia the hard way after an impressive performance at the first Mountaineers 7-on-7 tournament of the summer. He stood out with his ability to get open as well as make difficult catches throughout the course of the event.

The in-state wide receiver fills a need for West Virginia in the 2026 class especially given the turnover that will occur in the room after the 2025 season with several seniors exiting. That means that Thompson is going to have an opportunity early to prove that he is capable of a role.

West Virginia was able to land a key in-state prospect and keep one of the best at home which is always a good thing in recruiting especially with a prospect that earned his scholarship after performing well in front of the coaching staff. After some recent misses with in-state options, West Virginia was able to land Thompson which is a big deal for a lot of different reasons.

Recruiting the position:

West Virginia has been involved with a number of wide receivers that have come to campus in the month of June and the program is still actively targeting options there. Expect the program to add a few more to the room in the 2026 class before the dust settles on the class.

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