MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Ross Hodge has already proven that he can recruit at a high level at West Virginia, but if the latest prediction from On3’s Jamie Shaw comes true, he could be on the verge of landing the biggest high school recruit in the history of Mountaineer basketball.
Shaw has projected five-star center Paul Osaruyi to West Virginia, giving the Mountaineers a medium confidence prediction with Arkansas and Kentucky listed as the biggest threats. For a program that has landed some really good players over the years, this would be different. Osaruyi isn’t just another highly-rated recruit. He is considered one of the very best players in the entire 2027 class.
The 6-foot-10 Canadian big man has consistently been ranked among the top players and top centers nationally. ESPN has rated Osaruyi as high as the No. 3 overall player in the 2027 class, and he has already established himself as one of the most dominant young frontcourt players in high school basketball.
According to Shaw, Osaruyi’s recruitment has been a bit of a roller coaster, with different programs moving in and out of the picture. North Carolina was involved for a period of time, while Arkansas and Kentucky remain serious threats. One program, however, has remained consistent throughout the process: West Virginia.
West Virginia, Louisville, and Arizona all receive predictions to land 5⭐️ recruits, per @JamieShaw5.
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— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) August 19, 2026
Osaruyi has connections to Morgantown that most other programs simply can’t match. He played at CIA Bella Vista Prep with three current Mountaineers — Miles Sadler, Aliou Dioum and Amadou Seini. All three were members of Bella Vista’s loaded 2025-26 roster alongside Osaruyi before making their way to West Virginia.
That familiarity could be a huge advantage for Hodge and his staff. Osaruyi wouldn’t be walking into an unfamiliar situation in Morgantown. He already knows several of the players, has played alongside them at one of the highest levels of high school basketball and knows what they can do on the floor.
Sadler could be especially important. The two weren’t just high school teammates; they also played together within the Canadian basketball system. Shaw specifically pointed to Sadler’s presence at West Virginia as one of the factors connecting Osaruyi to the Mountaineers.
Then there is assistant coach Yusuf Ali.
Ali has quickly developed a reputation as one of the most important recruiters on Hodge’s staff, particularly when it comes to Canadian talent. He played a major role in West Virginia landing Sadler and Dioum and already has an established relationship with Osaruyi because of their Canadian connections.
That could ultimately be what separates West Virginia from some of the traditional blue bloods chasing Osaruyi.
On the court, it’s easy to understand why essentially every major program wants him. During Nike EYBL play, Osaruyi averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, two steals and two assists per game. He’s a physical presence around the basket, an elite rim protector and an athletic big man who can impact a game without needing the offense to run through him.
Landing Osaruyi would also be historic.
West Virginia has signed some massive recruits over the years. Devin Ebanks arrived in 2008 as a five-star prospect and was one of the centerpieces of the group that eventually helped take WVU to the 2010 Final Four. Oscar Tshiebwe was another enormous recruiting victory for Bob Huggins, signing with West Virginia as a five-star prospect ranked No. 21 nationally by Rivals and No. 22 by 247Sports. At the time of his commitment, Tshiebwe was regarded by some services as the highest-rated commitment in program history, edging out Ebanks and Kevin Jones.
More recently, Hodge raised the bar again by landing Miles Sadler, who became the highest-rated recruit to sign with West Virginia. But Osaruyi would raise it even higher. If his current national ranking holds, he would surpass Sadler and become the highest-rated recruit to ever choose the Mountaineers.
Think about that for a second.
Hodge hasn’t been at West Virginia very long, yet he and his staff have already positioned the Mountaineers to potentially land the most highly regarded recruit the program has ever signed.
This is what makes the recruitment of Osaruyi so important beyond just adding one really talented player. Landing a top-three national prospect over programs such as Kentucky and Arkansas would send a message that West Virginia can recruit against anybody in the country. It would also further establish the Canadian and Bella Vista Prep pipelines that Hodge and Ali have worked so hard to build.
There is still plenty of work to do. Shaw’s prediction comes with medium confidence, not a guarantee, and programs like Arkansas and Kentucky aren’t going away quietly. Osaruyi’s upcoming visits and eventual decision timeline will obviously be important.
But West Virginia being in this position at all says a lot about where Hodge has this program headed.
For years, Mountaineer fans wondered whether WVU could consistently attract this level of high school talent. Hodge and his staff aren’t just talking about doing it. They’re putting themselves in position to actually make it happen.
And if Paul Osaruyi ultimately follows Miles Sadler, Aliou Dioum and Amadou Seini from Bella Vista Prep to Morgantown, West Virginia won’t just be adding another five-star player.
The Mountaineers will have landed the highest-rated recruit in the history of the program.
