In what’s quickly becoming a dramatic tug-of-war on the 2025 recruiting trail, the West Virginia Mountaineers are making an aggressive and highly calculated push to reclaim the attention—and the commitment—of none other than Braydon Hawthorne, the homegrown phenom whose name has become synonymous with “next big thing” in Mountain State basketball.
Braydon Hawthorne, the dazzling four-star forward out of Beckley, WV, isn’t just another blue-chip prospect. He’s the crown jewel of the state. Long, athletic, and deceptively skilled for his size, Hawthorne possesses the kind of high-ceiling potential that coaches drool over and fan bases cling to. West Virginia once sat comfortably in the driver’s seat for his services, but a flurry of changes—including the departure of Darian DeVries and assistant Chester Frazier—shook the foundation of that early relationship.
Enter Ross Hodge, the newly minted general at the helm of the Mountaineers program, who is wasting no time reestablishing WVU’s presence in Hawthorne’s recruitment. According to a report by Travis Branham of 247Sports, Hodge and his staff followed through on their promise to meet with the Beckley standout, making their presence known with a personal visit this past Saturday. The message? Hawthorne isn’t just wanted—he’s essential to the vision.
But make no mistake: this is no small skirmish. It’s an all-out recruiting war.
A who’s-who of college basketball royalty has joined the fray: Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech are all jostling for position. And the Hokies? They may be WVU’s most formidable obstacle, thanks to Hawthorne’s long-standing connection with Chester Frazier, who has returned to Blacksburg after his brief stint in Morgantown. That relationship alone makes Virginia Tech a looming threat, and they’re pressing hard.
Hawthorne’s recruitment has become more than just a story of a local star choosing a college—it’s a test of Hodge’s ability to win hearts and homes within state lines, to prove that WVU is still the epicenter of basketball in West Virginia. And in a new era where the transfer portal is king, winning a high school star of Hawthorne’s caliber is more than symbolic—it’s foundational.
Hodge already landed a promising 2025 pledge in DeAndre Thomas, a gritty, versatile guard who originally intended to follow him from North Texas. But pairing Thomas with a player like Hawthorne? That’s the kind of duo that gives hope to a program in transition. That’s the kind of move that signals momentum.
Will West Virginia win the Braydon Hawthorne sweepstakes? The stakes are sky-high. The competition is fierce. And the battle is far from over.
One thing is certain: the Mountaineers aren’t going down without a fight—and if they succeed, it could be the first thunderclap of a storm that reshapes WVU basketball’s future.
