MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Mark Kellogg is building something in Morgantown, and Friday was the proof.
Zya Small, a 6-2 wing/forward from Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, has announced her commitment to West Virginia. Small is a four star prospect ranked No. 37 nationally in the Class of 2027, and she is the first commitment of Kellogg’s 2027 recruiting class.
The announcement came Friday via Rare Footage Sports, and Small’s own high school program celebrated the decision with a “COMMITTED” graphic showing Small smiling in a West Virginia jersey.
Let’s be clear about what just happened here. This is not a developmental prospect. This is not a depth piece. This is a top 40 national recruit, a 6-2 wing with the size to play multiple positions, choosing West Virginia over a long list of high major programs.
According to 247Sports, Rutgers, Maryland, Clemson, Colorado, Penn State, Georgia Tech and Auburn were all involved in Small’s recruitment. She took unofficial visits to Clemson, Auburn, Georgia Tech and West Virginia. She could have gone just about anywhere. She picked the Mountaineers.
For Mark Kellogg and his program, this is a statement win on the recruiting trail, and it matters for several reasons.
First, it is early momentum that changes the entire complexion of the 2027 class. Landing your first commitment is always important, but landing a top 40 national prospect sends a message to every other recruit on the board. Elite players want to play with elite players. Small’s commitment gives Kellogg’s staff something real to sell when they walk into living rooms the rest of this cycle.
Second, it is a Pennsylvania win, and those matter. Wynnewood sits right outside Philadelphia, one of the most talent rich areas in the country for girls basketball. Planting a flag there and beating out programs like Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers for a Philly area star establishes West Virginia as a real player in that region. Recruiting is about territory, and Kellogg just took some.
Third, the fit is exactly what the modern game demands. A 6-2 wing/forward who can defend multiple positions, run the floor and stretch defenses is the prototype every top program is chasing. Small gives Kellogg a versatile piece who can grow into a matchup problem in the Big 12, a league that punishes you if you cannot switch everything on the perimeter.
And then there is the bigger picture. Kellogg took over a program that needed an identity and a talent infusion, and commitments like this one are how you change the trajectory. Top 40 recruits do not commit to programs going nowhere. They commit to coaches with a vision they believe in. Small’s decision is a vote of confidence in what Kellogg is building, and it will not go unnoticed by the rest of the 2027 class.
The rest of the Big 12 should take notice. West Virginia women’s basketball is not just filling roster spots anymore. It is winning recruiting battles against high major competition for nationally ranked talent.
