MORGANTOWN — One of West Virginia’s top flips from this recruiting cycle could take home a national honor. WVU signee safety and versatile offensive player Matt Sieg was announced as one of the seven finalists for the National High School Player of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club. He was also named an All-American as an athlete by the football club, too.

Sieg is going up against Alabama’s RB Ezavier Crowell, Vanderbilt’s QB Jared Curtis, Alabama’s QB Jett Thomalla, Houston’s QB Keisean Henderson, USC’s DL Luke Wafle and Murray State’s RB Myles McLaughlin.

The Maxwell Football Club is the oldest football organization of its kind in America, starting in 1935. Last year’s winner was Keelon Russell, who was also the National Gatorade Player of the Year.

Sieg had an impressive high school career and played quarterback and free safety. During his junior year, he rushed for 4,000 yards and passed for over 4,000 yards, too. Sieg is the all-time leading rusher in Fort Cherry High School history and is the WPIAL’s all-time career leader in total yardage with 12,592 yards and touchdowns with 139. He was also second in rushing.

For the Mountaineers, Sieg is listed as an athlete after being listed on most recruiting sites as a safety. He was the fifth-highest rated recruit in Pennsylvania this year, just three spots shy of other WVU signee offensive lineman Kevin Brown. Sieg is the 16th-best safety in the class and was recruited by Notre Dame, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Indiana.

Rich Rodriguez talked during National Signing Day that he would give Sieg a chance to play on both sides of the ball. In what aspect? That’ll be discussed when Sieg finally gets on the field, wearing the gold and blue.

“I think he probably saw there’s probably a great opportunity for him at safety,” Rodriguez said during his press conference. “I told him, I think you’re good enough to play that, but also help us on the other side of the ball as well.”

Rodriguez isn’t a stranger to playing players two ways. Pass rusher Curtis Jones took reps and scored touchdowns at running back this year out of necessity, and Rodriguez said he could add more players with versatility with the limited roster sizes in college football.

Sieg, who was a 4-star and cracked the top 20 of the highest-rated WVU recruits in the modern era, should be an interesting player to watch grow and develop over the years.

The winner of the National High School Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club will be announced on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia.