West Virginia’s run game has a new centerpiece, and Rick Trickett didn’t waste much time telling you what he thinks of him.
The WVU offensive line coach had a close-up view of Cam Cook last season at Jacksonville State, where Cook led the nation in rushing in 2025 and kept finding ways to make defenders miss, bounce off, or get dragged along for the ride. When Trickett got asked about the transfer back in Morgantown on Friday, he made his position clear.
“A really good guy, a really good team guy. It’s not a me-or-an-I guy.
He’ll do anything he has to do to help us win. A good person and I think a really damn good football player.
He can catch the ball. I think he was ranked one or two in the country at first misses.
He got a little knack about that first guy not tackling him, so that makes him very good. He knows how to take a lick, how to deliver a lick.
But he’s what West Virginia football is all about. He’s what you want sitting in this room.
If we had everybody playing and sitting in this room going to do what he does to win, we’ll be in great shape. He’s a great guy, a great football player.
That kind of production matters for a WVU offense that had no answers on the ground a year ago. The Mountaineers struggled badly to move the ball running it, the kind of season that produced Rich Rod’s semi-viral moment after the Arizona State loss, when he used his hands to show the length of a yard over and over in frustration after West Virginia couldn’t get three feet.
Now the picture looks a lot different. With Cook in the backfield, a revamped offensive line, and Trickett in the mix, West Virginia should be far better equipped to finish those short-yardage snaps instead of leaving the offense stuck in the mud. Trickett’s line is described as one of the nation’s most experienced, and even when the blocking breaks down, Cook has shown he can create something out of nothing and keep a drive alive.
The numbers from last season tell the story pretty cleanly. Cook piled up 1,071 yards after contact, while West Virginia’s entire running back room finished with 1,027 rushing yards. He gained more after being hit than WVU produced on the ground all season.
Earlier in the week, Rodriguez compared Cook’s style to Avon Cobourne, West Virginia’s all-time leading rusher. If Cook ends up anywhere near that level, the Mountaineers’ offense has a real chance to look a whole lot different this fall.
In Other News...
Andre Devine Is Forcing West Virginia To Find Him A Role
Andre Devine has been one of the more intriguing practice notes around West Virginia this fall, with Rich Rodriguez saying the running back has shown flashes even as the staff continues to sort out where he fits. Devine has added some weight since last year, but he is still a smaller back and remains behind other runners on the depth chart, which makes the road to meaningful carries a crowded one.
For now, the most realistic path to the field may come away from the backfield entirely. West Virginia can use another explosive option on special teams, and Devines return ability gives him a chance to carve out value while the offense keeps evaluating the bigger picture at running back. [Read more 🡒]
Two WVU Freshmen Are Turning Heads But One Name Stands Out
ESPNs Billy Tucker put a spotlight on two West Virginia true freshmen in a recent ranking, and it is easy to see why Kevin Brown and Matt Sieg are already drawing attention in Morgantown. Brown has been working mostly at left tackle, where he has looked like the kind of newcomer who can force his way onto the field early, while Sieg gives the Mountaineers a different kind of versatility as a safety who could also help on offense.
For a program trying to build depth without waiting around for it, having two freshmen land among the Big 12s top 10 is the kind of early validation coaches and fans notice. The list also opened the door to a broader conversation about the class, including another newcomer, Latimer, who has generated enough buzz that his absence from the top 10 felt like part of the story in its own right. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs New Recruiting Pipeline Has Mountaineers Fans Dreaming Big
West Virginias latest recruiting haul has given the program something it has been chasing for years: a class with real national weight and a built-in chemistry component. The headliner is Miles Sadler, the top-ranked player in the group, and he is joined by two teammates from Bella Vista Prep, the program that just won the Chipotle High School Basketball National Championship. For a fan base eager to see the Mountaineers climb back into the Big 12 conversation, it is the kind of class that makes future projections feel a lot less abstract.
Ross Hodge has already pointed to the 2026-27 season as the point when this roster should start to look more like the one he wants, with the freshmen and incoming transfers adding speed and physicality. There is also a clear sense that West Virginia is not just collecting talent, but building it through a recruiting approach and development plan shaped by Hodge and assistant Yusut Ali. The promise is obvious enough to get people talking now, even if the real answer to how high this group can rise is still a year away. [Read more 🡒]