Rich Rodriguez isn’t buying the outside skepticism about West Virginia, and he thinks this year’s roster has more to work with than people realize.
On The Pat McAfee Show, the WVU head coach said he feels this group would handle last year’s team, pointing to the amount of proven experience the Mountaineers brought in across the roster.
“Well, I definitely think if we played last year’s team, I think we’d beat ‘em for sure,' he said. "The biggest difference is even though we only have one or two returning starters, kind of like last year, we only have one or two returning starters from our team.
We intentionally tried to find guys, whether from Group of Five or Group of Six or 1-AA or whatever - guys that had proven production at other places. So they have experience, just not experience in our system.
I really like the way it fits.
"We went from zero offensive line that had started games to having seven or eight that have started multiple games in their careers, and that was kind of the same in every position. We went out and got one transfer quarterback to compete with Scotty Fox in Mike Hawkins, and he’s been everything we thought he would be.
Defensively, we got a bunch of no names, but Coach Alley and our defensive staff have done a great job putting them together. I mean, it’s still going to be a work in progress a little bit at times, but I like our athleticism.
I like the way they’re practicing, and I think we’ll be a little bit better than most of the pundits except Stanford Steve; he’s already got us up there.”
That “bunch of no names” line about the defense probably shouldn’t be overread, but it does underline where the biggest questions still sit. The offense has more obvious answers, especially up front, where the Mountaineers now have a veteran group after last year’s lack of starting experience.
The quarterback spot also has some real intrigue, with transfer Mike Hawkins in the mix with Scotty Fox. Rodriguez said Hawkins has met expectations, which only adds to the sense that WVU has more depth and competition than it did a year ago.
Even so, the defense is still the wild card. There are concerns there, and the unit doesn’t have a true star like Cam Cook or the same level of experience the offensive line now brings. But camp has shown enough to suggest the group has been solid.
If Coach Alley can get that defense to land in the middle of the Big 12, West Virginia’s ceiling starts to look a lot higher than a simple bowl-game chase. The Mountaineers are also counting on Hawkins and a run game led by Cook and Amari Latimer to carry their share of the load.
In Other News...
WVUs Opener Depth Chart Is Taking Shape Around Two Key Battles
West Virginias second preseason scrimmage gave the staff another chance to sort through a depth chart that is still coming into focus ahead of the opener against Coastal Carolina. The projection now paints a clearer picture of who is trending toward starting jobs and where the Mountaineers are leaning on camp competition and rotation work to settle things before Week 1.
The biggest takeaway is that the roster still has a few genuine battles shaping the final look, with injuries and performance in camp influencing how the two-deep is arranged. Even with some spots appearing more settled than others, the remaining question is how the staff will handle those key decisions when it comes time to trim uncertainty and lock in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Defense Faces One Big Test Before Fans Can Trust It
As fall camp moves deeper into August, the Mountaineers defense sounds like a group that is starting to settle in. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley said the players are gaining a better grasp of the system, looking more comfortable and making smarter plays, while Rich Rodriguez has pointed to the benefit of bringing back several experienced pieces even as the staff layers in more complex schemes this season.
The bigger question is whether all of that translates when the games turn physical. West Virginia still has concerns up front, especially about the defensive lines depth and size against run-heavy opponents, and that is the kind of issue that tends to show up quickly once the pads stay on and the opposition starts leaning on the front seven. [Read more 🡒]
WVU's NFL Pipeline Rebuild Suddenly Has A Few Real Names To Watch
West Virginias roster under Rich Rodriguez is starting to look like it could feed an NFL conversation again, and there are a few names worth tracking beyond the usual program-wide optimism. Running back Cam Cook has drawn attention as a junior, second-year linebacker Cam Torbor has put himself on the radar in the middle of the defense, and first-year offensive lineman Kevin Brown is already the kind of body and talent evaluators notice early when they study a depth chart.
For a program trying to rebuild its pipeline, the value is in having players at different stages of development who can plausibly become draftable pieces if they keep moving in the right direction. None of that guarantees anything yet, of course, but it gives WVU something it has been looking for: a short list of real prospects, not just a hope that someone emerges later. [Read more 🡒]