West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez met with the media Wednesday evening and spent much of his time giving a blunt, wide-ranging update on where his team stands with camp winding down.
The biggest theme was health. Rodriguez said the Mountaineers are dealing with a cluster of hamstring strains and other minor issues, something he described as frustrating even while stressing that the group is still trending in the right direction.
“I think we’re making steps. I get a little frustrated when we have some stuff tissue stuff- seven, eight guys with hamstring strains or whatever it is.
It’s nothing anybody’s done wrong; it just kind of happens. Guys nowadays, if you don’t work them out, they’re not like in the old days where in the summer you were working out, or if you were playing ball every day you were working out, you’re playing basketball, you were active all the time.
Our guys are here all summer, and all of a sudden they go full speed in practice, and it’s a little bit straining on them. That part’s frustrating, but I like the work ethic, and we’ve definitely gotten better every day.”
Rodriguez also gave a few personnel updates. Cam Ball is questionable for the first game, while Ryan Ward should be back after not practicing. Freshman running back Lawrence Autry has been progressing, but he’s also dealing with an injury that could keep him out for a couple of weeks and put his status for the opener in doubt.
“Cam Ball is questionable for the first game, maybe. We’re hoping he’ll be back.
Ryan Ward should be back; he hadn’t practiced. Young freshman running back Lawrence Autry is doing well, but he’s banged up for a couple of weeks.
I don’t know if he’ll be ready for the first game. He was coming along pretty good.
The rest of them is kind of hit and miss.”
On the competition side, Rodriguez said last week’s scrimmage featured plenty of live work - about 100 plays - and he liked the edge his team showed in that setting. The next day’s work with the younger players, though, was a different story.
“We went live for 100 plays or something in the scrimmage, and I was pretty pleased with the intensity there. A little live today with the young guys, and it was soft.
I don’t know if anybody got a bruise today. There was a lot of paddy-caking with the young guys.
It was a pillow fight. Neither side won.”
Asked about the offensive line, Rodriguez pointed to the broader picture rather than isolating one unit. He said the group, along with the rest of the roster, should be better because of experience, including transfers who already know the offense from their time at Jax State.
“Oh, I don’t know. They haven’t played yet.
We weren’t good on the offensive line last year, but we weren’t good anywhere. Do I expect us to be better?
Hell yeah, I expect us to be better. I expect us to be better everywhere.
These guys have a lot more snaps; a lot of guys have played a lot of college football, so with that experience, I expect us to be a whole lot better. A couple guys, not just the guys that are returning, but a couple other guys that transferred in from Jax State, have got experience in the offense.
Overall, there’s a better feel for what we’re doing up front.”
Rodriguez closed with an update on the freshmen up front, saying the class is still developing physically. He singled out Landon Drumm as the one who may have been closest to contributing right away before a knee issue set him back, and he also mentioned Malachi Thompson as a player he believes has a bright future.
“I think they’re all going to be okay, but they’re all right now from a strength standpoint, not quite there yet. They’re really hard workers.
Landon Drumm, probably of all the true freshmen, maybe had the best chance to do it, but he got banged up a little bit now. It’s a knee thing that he’ll be back hopefully in a couple weeks.
His progress was really good. Malachi (Thompson) is another guy I think is going to have a great future.
Those young guys are just swimming.”
In Other News...
WVU's Freshman Running Backs Are Giving Rich Rodriguez Real Options
Rich Rodriguez has spent the offseason building a backfield that looks a lot more layered than the usual one-man show, and that matters for a West Virginia team trying to sort out its identity early in 2026. Cam Cook still stands as the lead back, but the group behind him now includes a wave of newcomers, with freshmen Latimer and Talley in line for roles and JUCO transfer Martavious Boswell also expected to factor in.
Autry is the name worth filing away, even if he arrived late and is still playing catch-up after missing some of the usual installation time. The early signs in practice suggest there is something to work with there, and for Rodriguez, that kind of depth is the point - not just having bodies, but giving the offense real options as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Miles Sadler Faces Huge Expectations As Ross Hodge Sends Clear Message
Miles Sadler arrives in Morgantown with the kind of recruiting profile that naturally brings a spotlight with it, and West Virginia is already talking about what his presence could mean before he even settles into his freshman season. Ross Hodge has been clear that the attention around Sadler is part of the deal for a player viewed so highly, especially on a roster that could use immediate help in the backcourt and a steady hand in bigger moments.
What has stood out to Hodge, though, is less about the buzz and more about how Sadler carries himself through it. The staff likes the way he approaches coaching and the edge he brings into every workout, traits that can matter just as much as raw talent when a young guard is asked to contribute right away. If Sadler translates those qualities quickly, he has a chance to become more than a newcomer West Virginia is excited about, with his freshman season carrying a real chance to shape the tone of the team. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Young Core Is Already Shaping The Mountaineers Future
West Virginias long-term picture is starting to take shape through a group of younger players who have already logged limited but meaningful action. The programs evaluation of its next wave centers on 10 football players who have played 299 snaps or fewer, a snapshot that helps show where the roster is headed and which pieces could grow into larger roles over the next few seasons.
Those early assessments are still fluid, and the staff plans to keep updating them as the season unfolds. For Mountaineers fans, the intrigue is less about what these players have already done and more about how their skills, projected roles and future contributions might change once the game reps start piling up. [Read more 🡒]