Big 12 Media Days are here, which means summer is officially rolling along and the league’s coaches and players are about to start talking for real.
Over the next two days, the conference will roll out Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, the Big 12 Coordinator of Football Officials, all 16 coaches, and a group of players from each school. For West Virginia, the spotlight lands on Rich Rodriguez, who is scheduled to speak on the main stage at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Rodriguez’s press conference will stream on ESPNU. Before that, he and WR Jaden Bray, OL Nick Krahe, and N/S Geimere Latimer will take part in radio row interviews that will not be televised.
They’ll also have a chance to do their own mini press conferences off to the side, and those will be posted online. Rodriguez and possibly one player may also do a short interview on the ESPNU broadcast before he goes on the main stage.
When Rodriguez gets his turn, the obvious talking points are already lined up: the quarterback situation, having the nation’s leading rusher, Cam Cook, headlining the offense, and why he believes this year’s group is better positioned to have success.
West Virginia is part of a packed Wednesday schedule that starts with Arizona’s Brent Brennan at 12 p.m., followed by Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield at 12:20 p.m., Iowa State’s Jimmy Rogers at 12:40 p.m., TCU’s Sonny Dykes at 1 p.m., Kansas State’s Collin Klein at 1:20 p.m., Kansas’ Lance Leipold at 1:40 p.m., Utah’s Morgan Scalley at 2 p.m., Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire at 2:20 p.m., and then Rodriguez at the same time slot for the Mountaineers.
The rest of the day’s lineup includes Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris at 12 p.m., Houston’s Willie Fritz at 12:20 p.m., UCF’s Scott Frost at 12:40 p.m., Baylor’s Dave Aranda at 1 p.m., Colorado’s Deion Sanders at 1:20 p.m., Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham at 1:40 p.m., and BYU’s Kalani Sitake at 2 p.m.
Each coach is bringing a group of players with him, and West Virginia’s trio is Bray, Krahe, and Latimer. Texas Tech, meanwhile, will have Terrance Carter Jr., Coy Eakin, A.J. Holmes Jr., Brice Pollock, Ben Roberts, and Sheridan Wilson alongside Joey McGuire.
The full Wednesday slate also includes player groups for Arizona, Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, Kansas State, Kansas, Utah, Oklahoma State, Houston, UCF, Baylor, Colorado, Arizona State, and BYU.
In Other News...
WVU Just Set A 2026 Home Date Fans Will Never Forget
West Virginias 2026 home schedule is already taking shape as the athletics marketing department rolls out a slate built to turn Milan Puskar Stadium into more than just a Saturday stop. The lineup mixes the usual fan staples with a few bigger showcase moments, from Gold Rush and Coal Rush to group ticket packages and the Big 12 Fall Tour, giving Mountaineer fans an early look at how the season will be framed in Morgantown.
The centerpiece, though, is a September date that figures to carry a different kind of weight, with a long-awaited jersey retirement set to anchor the day and a special all-white push tied to it. Add in the Hall of Fame induction weekend and the themed games sprinkled through the fall, and WVU has clearly mapped out a home schedule designed to lean into tradition, pageantry and the kind of memories that tend to stick long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Former Arizona Guard Kerr Kriisa Is Suddenly Facing Serious Trouble
Kerr Kriisas off-court situation has taken a sharp turn, and for West Virginia fans the name still carries a familiar ring. The former Mountaineer guard played in Morgantown in 2023-24 before moving on, and his college career has now become part of a much more serious legal story after federal agents arrested him in Lexington, Kentucky.
Kriisa was extradited to West Virginia and is preparing to appear in court after being charged with wire fraud in connection with a scheme authorities say stretched over several years. The allegations center on false pretenses used to obtain money, and the case now puts a former high-profile transfer back in the state where he once suited up, only this time facing a legal fight rather than a basketball one. [Read more 🡒]
National Analyst Casts Doubt On WVUs New Quarterback Hope
Mike Hawkins Jr. arrives at West Virginia with the kind of transfer profile that usually invites both optimism and caution. The former Oklahoma quarterback is expected to benefit from a better supporting cast in Morgantown than he had in Norman, and there is real confidence around the program and among fans that the move can unlock more of what made him a sought-after portal name in the first place.
Still, not everyone is ready to buy in without reservations. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said Hawkins is a little hard to get a handle on, and his mixed read on the quarterback centers on a stretch at Oklahoma that was difficult to evaluate in a vacuum because of the pressure he faced and the talent around him. West Virginias offensive line should give him a cleaner runway in 2025, but the question hanging over the Mountaineers is whether that better environment is enough to turn promise into production. [Read more 🡒]