Rich Rodriguez is still building West Virginia the way he wants it, and this offseason’s roster churn has only reinforced how much the Mountaineers are leaning on the transfer portal. In Rodriguez’s second stint in Morgantown, the expectation is improvement, and the early outlook has West Virginia sitting at 5.5 wins.
That push will come down in part to how the new arrivals settle in, especially Jacksonville State transfer running back Cam Cook, who ran for 1,659 yards, and Oklahoma transfer quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. If the offense is going to take a real step, those two have to fit into Rodriguez’s system quickly in 2026.
Rodriguez also weighed in on the NCAA’s latest eligibility shift, one that gives student-athletes five years to play five seasons in their sport while doing away with redshirts and medical waivers. His view was straightforward.
“I don’t think it changes your recruiting model,” Rodriguez said. “It makes it easier, clears it up.”
For a coach in Rodriguez’s position, the appeal is obvious. The new setup gives him a cleaner timeline to work with, replacing the old redshirt math with an age-based clock.
It also makes recruiting decisions at high-demand positions a little more direct, especially when a coach is deciding where to invest resources. A possible transfer rule that limits players to one move only adds another layer to that simplification.
West Virginia’s recruiting picture has already started to reflect that momentum. The Mountaineers currently hold the fourth-best class in the Big 12 for 2027, according to 247 Sports recruiting class rankings, and that group includes four-star St. Frances wide receiver Carter Bonner.
On the field, Rodriguez is trying to move past a 4-8 season, including a 2-7 mark in Big 12 play. West Virginia finished outside the top 100 across the line of scrimmage, and the defense gave up 30.8 points per game, which ranked 114th nationally.
There are some familiar pieces back in the mix. Offensive lineman Nick Krahe, entering his fourth season with the program, remains an important holdover up front. Quarterback Max Brown, linebacker Ben Cutter and defensive lineman Nate Gabriel are also back after navigating a coaching change.
The pass rush gave West Virginia something to build on last year, and the staff has added help to keep that going, including Coastal Carolina transfer Zeke Campbell. Even so, the defense still looks like a unit that will have to win with size and experience, especially with a Big 12 schedule that includes Texas Tech and TCU. Stops, once again, figure to be hard-earned.
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West Virginia spent the offseason trying to solve a familiar problem, adding size and length through recruiting and transfers in hopes of making the frontcourt more functional from top to bottom. One of the most intriguing pieces in that effort is freshman Amadou Seini, who turned heads at the Chipotle Nationals Championship and has already drawn strong reviews inside the program for the way he moves and covers ground at his size.
Assistant coach Miles Sadler has been especially impressed by Seinis athleticism and stamina, and that matters for a team still sorting out how its big-man rotation will look once the games start counting. Georgia Tech transfer Mouhamed Sylla is expected to open as the starting center, but Seini and fellow true freshman Aliou Dioum are both in the mix for the remaining frontcourt minutes, giving West Virginia a young, physical group with a lot still to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Settled A QB Battle WVU Fans Needed To Watch
Virginias quarterback picture is now clear heading into a September matchup that West Virginia fans have had circled for months. Tony Elliott has settled on Beau Pribula to lead the Cavaliers, giving Virginia a proven option at the most important position after a strong run last season that included a trip to the ACC title game and a 10-win regular season.
For the Mountaineers, the timing matters because these teams meet Sept. 19 in Charlotte in their first regular-season game against each other since 1985. Pribula also brings a little extra familiarity to the rivalry side of things, having been part of Penn State teams that beat West Virginia in 2023 and 2024, while Eli Holstein now shifts into the background after coming up short in the competition. [Read more 🡒]