WVU football recruit SirPaul Cheeks already well known
A week ago, West Virginia received a commitment from 2026 running back SirPaul Cheeks, from Chesterfield, Va. Some say Cheek's name sounds like a name from the Key and Peele East/West College Bowl skit, but it's not. Cheeks is the newest addition to the 2026 class.
Cheeks isn't the only name tagged to the new back. The running back also goes by the nickname 'Jesus in Cleats,' which is high praise for the high schooler. According to his X account, Cheeks runs a 4.37 40-yard dash, ranking 11th in this year's NFL Combine and second among running backs, so he is fast.
Cheeks' name and nickname have already caught national attention. A couple of days after his commitment, ESPN and former WVU player Pat McAfee introduced Cheeks to College GameDay co-host Kirk Herbstreit, during McAfee's show.
'SirPaul Cheeks,' McAfee said. 'You are going to learn today, Kirk. West Virginia got a commitment from SirPaul Cheeks. Jesus in cleats.'
'Where is he from?' Herbstreit asked.
'He's from f——- football god,' McAfee replied.
Experts don't think the same of Cheeks, and he doesn't have the highest rating. Cheeks is a composite three-star prospect and ranked as the 54th-best running back in the 2026 class. Cheeks is the 24th-ranked player in Virginia.
Cheeks has promising stats from last year to back up his nickname, though. His junior year, Cheeks had 1,495 all-purpose yards, 18 touchdowns, three pick-6s, 900 rushing yards on 38 carries and 265 receiving yards. Kentucky, Buffalo, Appalachian State and Ball State liked what they saw and offered him, too.
He can do it all on both sides of the ball but will play running back in college. Rich Rodriguez said earlier this spring that two-way players might be more present in college football, with the shrunken rosters, so it's not out of the question that he plays more than just running back.
'You still may need to have a few guys that maybe can go both ways,' Rodriguez said. 'I think you'll see a little more of that. I know Travis Hunter did it at Colorado.'
Cheeks could be the future of Rodriguez's offense. Rodriguez's offense is run-heavy and tempo, so a running back that can do it all should have success. However, Cheeks is on the smaller side at 5-foot-9, but he has some time to put on some size since he's just a high schooler. Rodriguez's starting running back this year, Jahiem White, is only 5-foot-7 and 192 pounds, so Cheeks shouldn't have an issue.
Cheeks will have to compete for the starting role one day. In just his class alone, there are two other running backs, fellow 3-star prospects Christopher Talley, who's also 5-foot-9, and Jett Walker. Cheeks is ranked higher than those two, and rated as the fourth-best player in WVU's 2026 class, which consists of 25 pledges.
It'll be interesting to see how Cheeks pans out and if he stays committed to WVU. There will be WVU fans pulling for him just because of his name alone.
'All I can tell you is if Rich Rod recruited him, he's a great player,' Herbstreit said. 'There's a new era in Morgantown, and I am officially on the bandwagon.'
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