West Virginia opens the 2026 season at home Saturday against Coastal Carolina, and the expectation here is straightforward: the Mountaineers should control the game, even if it doesn’t turn into the kind of runaway some fans might be hoping for.
Coastal Carolina comes in with a new voice in Ryan Beard, who was hired after three seasons at Missouri State. That background matters because the defensive approach figures to travel with him.
Beard’s staff likes to keep a safety high, take away the middle of the field and force offenses to live on short gains. That same style showed up a year ago at Missouri State, where explosive plays were hard to find against them.
Last season, Missouri State ranked second in Conference USA in 20-plus-yard plays allowed, third in 30-plus-yard plays allowed and second in 40-plus-yard plays allowed. With a longer and better secondary in place here, similar results seem likely.
The Chanticleers also have a quarterback battle still unresolved in Conway. Missouri State transfer Deuce Bailey appears to be the most likely starter, but Tyler Junior College transfer Tre Guerra and Arkansas transfer Trever Jackson are both in the mix. Whoever gets the nod, the West Virginia front should have opportunities to apply pressure against an offensive line that looks shaky on paper.
That said, Coastal isn’t being written off as a pushover. This is a program that clearly wanted a change after moving on from Tim Beck after three seasons, and Beard should have his team prepared.
It’s not the kind of opponent that will simply fold, even if the talent gap and depth gap are obvious. This is not Akron rolling into town, with all due respect to the Golden Flashes.
For West Virginia, the roster has gone through another overhaul, but the Mountaineers added younger talent through the transfer portal and kept some important pieces from last season. Rich Rodriguez is back for his second season in his second stint in Morgantown, and he has said the culture is starting to take shape.
The offense should be built around Cam Cook, who is expected to be featured heavily after leading the FBS in rushing yards last season at Jacksonville State. The line will be central to everything, and fall camp chatter centered on the return of o-line coach Rick Trickett. Another sign worth watching is that Rimington Award nominee and returning starting center Landon Livingston is behind Wes King on the depth chart.
At quarterback, West Virginia has not officially named a starter, but it was reported that Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. will get the job. He brings the kind of dual-threat ability that should give the Mountaineers a chance to attack Coastal Carolina both on the ground and through the air.
There are still questions on defense, especially in the secondary. West Virginia added size on the back end to address those needs, but whether that group can handle Big 12 offenses remains to be seen.
The larger point, though, is that most of this roster is still learning the system. Even so, the Mountaineers are further along than they were a year ago because this group has been together since January.
That should show up in the run game. West Virginia ought to have its way on the ground, but the bigger test is whether the team can turn all the offseason optimism into clean execution. The defense may allow some yards early before tightening up after halftime.
The most likely script is a competitive first half and a West Virginia pullaway after the break. The pick here is 30-13 Mountaineers.
This one should be decided by the third quarter, and if WVU executes in all three phases, it should handle business. West Virginia, big.
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WVU Basketball Just Gave Fans An Early Schedule Test To Watch
West Virginias non-conference basketball calendar is already giving fans plenty to circle, with the Mountaineers set for three exhibition games and a trip to the Players Era Tournament as part of an opening stretch that looks built to test Ross Hodges first WVU team. The schedule also brings the kind of opponent mix that can help a new staff learn a roster quickly while giving supporters a better sense of what this group might look like before Big 12 play arrives.
Hodge framed the slate as more than just a warmup, pointing to the value of competitive games and rivalry matchups in keeping the fan base engaged from the start. Among the dates that stands out most is a meeting with Virginia Tech, the sort of regional showdown that can add some early edge to the season and give Mountaineer fans a familiar measuring stick before the games start carrying more weight. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia Opens Year 2 With One Huge Rich Rodriguez Decision
West Virginia heads into Year 2 under Rich Rodriguez with one of the most watched decisions of the opening stretch still hanging over the program. The Mountaineers have not officially named a starting quarterback, and the competition has drawn attention because it could shape how quickly this team settles in as it tries to move forward after a difficult first season under the current staff.
Reports have pointed to Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. as the likely choice over returning quarterback Scotty Fox Jr., which would give West Virginia a different look at the games most important position. Coastal Carolina is dealing with its own quarterback puzzle under new coach Ryan Beard, with five players in the mix, but for the Mountaineers the wait feels especially significant because Rodriguezs second year is supposed to bring more clarity and progress. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Buzz Is Rising Fast But Two Roster Calls Loom Large
West Virginias preseason buzz is building quickly under Ross Hodge, and it is easy to see why. The Mountaineers bring in a young roster, plus transfer and high school recruiting classes that have given the program a fresh look, while former player Emmitt Matthews Jr. has already added to the optimism around what this group might become.
The schedule will not give the Mountaineers much room to settle in, either, with a demanding non-conference slate waiting before league play fully takes hold. For all the promise around the roster, the biggest questions still sit in the frontcourt picture, where the team is waiting on two important names to sort out their status and help determine just how far this early momentum can really go. [Read more 🡒]