MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A busy recruiting weekend for West Virginia’s football program saw the Mountaineers land a homegrown commitment as University’s Noah Braham pledged to stay local.
Braham, the son of former West Virginia standout and NFL veteran Rich Braham, committed to be a part of West Virginia’s 2023 class less than 72 hours after receiving the scholarship offer.
“It’s always been a goal of mine and dream of mine to play Division I football, but it started after my sophomore year when [WVU offensive line coach Matt Moore] first reached out to me and was like, ‘we’re interested in you,’” Braham said Monday night as a guest on MetroNews Statewide Sportsline. “He started taking me through the recruiting process.”
Having followed the Mountaineers since his early childhood days, Braham found it a relatively easy choice to pick West Virginia.
“I grew up loving football, been watching it my whole life. It’s everywhere in the house. In terms of me going to WVU, it felt like home,” Braham said. “I grew up watching them play and always wanted to be a player on the team. It’s like a dream come true.”
Braham has primarily been utilized as a tight end and defensive end at University. He’s moving to middle linebacker for his senior season with the Hawks, and at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, Braham may well project as a linebacker at the next level should he play defense.
“Recently, they switched my title to tight end or H-back,” Braham said. “When they offered me, they offered me as a tight end or middle or outside linebacker.”
Braham says he has no preference what position he plays in college.
“Whatever is going to get me on the field and allow me to play football,” he said.
Braham caught 16 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns in an injury-shortened junior season for a Hawks’ team that finished 11-1 under veteran head coach John Kelley. Rich Braham oversees the UHS offensive line.
“I have good route-running abilities and good hands. I can block well and as my dad is the offensive line coach, I learn a lot from him,” Braham said. “On the defensive side, I’m playing middle linebacker this year, so it’s going to take some getting used to, because I’ve been playing defensive end for the last three years and I haven’t been a linebacker since eighth grade.”
As a player, Rich Braham was an offensive lineman and became a second-team All-American at West Virginia before going on to play 13 years for the Cincinnati Bengals. Both Brahams played for Kelley at UHS.
“There’s times where they get to telling stories and it’s a really good time,” Braham said. “You get used to it over time.”