File photo West Virginia athletics announced it will add 140 new scholarships starting the 2026-27 season. 16 of the scholarships will be for football, and 124 of them will be for Olympic sports.

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia athletics announced it will add 140 new scholarships starting the 2026-27 season. 16 of the scholarships will be for football, and 124 of them will be for Olympic sports. The added scholarships will make the total 400 for its 18 sports.

“When our athletic teams win, WVU wins and West Virginians swell with pride,” WVU athletic director Wren Baker said in a statement. We have an obligation to help strengthen the University while advancing its mission and integrity,” Baker said. “I want to thank President Benson and our tremendous Board of Governors. Under their leadership, we have been given a path that will help us compete in the Big 12 and strengthen our position on the national level.”

The extra scholarships come just a month after West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey pledged to make WVU a top team in the Big 12 financially. The Board of Governors voted unanimously in September for a resolution in support of WVU athletics. Morrisey also signed two name, image and likeness bills on Sept. 11. The first was to prevent the athletic commission from penalizing West Virginia schools over NIL. The other was to provide a safe vehicle for schools to generate money toward NIL.

“West Virginia joins those states to be able to open up those opportunities and make recruiting more competitive for the Mountaineers, for the Thundering Herd, and, quite frankly, for all institutions across West Virginia,” Morrisey said in early September.

Baker’s mission over the past couple of months has been to provide all athletics with the finances necessary to compete at the highest level.

Recently, in the case of the House v. NCAA settlement, it ruled that schools were allowed to directly pay student athletes part of revenue sharing up to $20.5 million annually per school. Baker announced at a press conference in late August that WVU had raised enough funds to reach that mark.

He created WVU’s NIL agency Gold & Blue Enterprise with the goal of reaching $20.5 million. Baker also fielded offers to sell naming rights, like how the Coliseum name was sold to Hope Gas, and partnered with different companies through sponsorships.

However, Baker said reaching the revenue sharing came at the sacrifice of scholarships for Olympic sports. It sounds like, with the help of the Board of Governors, new WVU President Michael T. Benson, Baker was allowed to commit more finances toward more scholarships, making all sports competitive.

“The addition of 140 scholarships is a crucial step to making WVU Athletics stronger,” Baker said. “We are thankful for the confidence shown by President Benson and the BOG.”

As part of the House v. NCAA settlement, current scholarship limits are being replaced by roster sizes, and scholarship numbers and distribution can count toward revenue sharing. West Virginia is at full revenue share this year and will be at full permissible revenue share again in 2026-27.”