MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — I know this probably isn’t going to be a popular opinion with a large portion of the West Virginia fanbase right now, but my belief in Rich Rodriguez hasn’t wavered one bit. Not even a little. Despite the disappointing results, the embarrassing defensive performances, and a record that certainly isn’t what any of us envisioned when he returned to Morgantown, I still firmly believe that Rich Rodriguez is the right man to lead the Mountaineers back to national prominence.
And no, I’m not saying that simply because of what he accomplished during his first stint at West Virginia. I’m saying it because I believe in what he’s trying to build, the culture he wants to establish, and the identity that has been missing from this football program for far too long.
Let’s get something straight right away. The results haven’t been good enough. Not even close. West Virginia is sitting at 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 Conference play, and the Mountaineers have been absolutely embarrassed defensively over the last several weeks. There’s no defending that. There’s no sugarcoating it. Rich Rodriguez himself would be the first person to tell you that what we’ve seen, particularly on the defensive side of the football, is completely unacceptable.
But I also think there’s a difference between recognizing that a football team isn’t performing up to expectations and deciding that the man leading the program isn’t capable of getting it where it needs to go.
For years, I’ve felt that West Virginia football lost its identity. The Mountaineers were once a program that nobody wanted to play. They were physical, aggressive, relentless, and played with an edge that made them incredibly difficult to beat. You didn’t necessarily have to have the most talented roster in the country to win at West Virginia. You had to have players who were willing to outwork, outfight, and outlast the guy lined up across from them.
That’s the West Virginia football program I grew up loving, and that’s the program I believe Rich Rodriguez is determined to bring back.
When Rodriguez was hired, I never expected everything to be fixed overnight. In today’s college football landscape, with the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing, and the constant movement of players, rebuilding a program is an entirely different challenge than it was twenty years ago. Establishing a culture takes time. Finding the right players takes time. Getting everyone in the building to buy into the same expectations takes time.
And perhaps most importantly, changing the mentality of an entire football program doesn’t happen in six games.
Now, I can already hear the criticism. “Where’s that hard edge we’ve been promised?” That’s a completely fair question. I’ve asked it myself. In fact, I’ve been extremely critical of the lack of toughness we’ve seen from this defense. You can’t talk about having a hard edge and then allow opposing offenses to move the football up and down the field with very little resistance. You can’t preach physicality and then consistently miss tackles, blow assignments, and give up explosive plays.
That’s not Rich Rodriguez football, and I don’t believe for a second that he’s satisfied with it.
But here’s where I differ from some of the people who are already questioning whether bringing Rodriguez back was a mistake. I don’t believe the fact that his team hasn’t developed that identity yet means he’s incapable of establishing it.
I believe it means there’s still a tremendous amount of work to do.
Look at what Rodriguez has already demonstrated throughout his coaching career. At West Virginia, he took a program that wasn’t considered one of college football’s traditional powers and turned it into a legitimate national championship contender. His teams were fast, physical, disciplined in their approach, and absolutely relentless offensively. Opponents knew exactly what was coming, and many of them still couldn’t stop it.
That didn’t happen by accident.
It happened because Rodriguez understood what kind of players he needed, what kind of mentality he wanted, and how to build a program around an identity that fit West Virginia perfectly.
And I don’t believe he’s suddenly forgotten how to coach football.
In fact, when I watch what this offense is capable of doing, I see glimpses of exactly what made me so excited about his return in the first place. The creativity, the tempo, the physical running game, and the ability to put tremendous pressure on opposing defenses are all there. We’ve seen what Michael Hawkins Jr. can do in this system, and we’ve seen the potential of players like Cam Cook when the offense gets rolling.
The problem is that West Virginia hasn’t been able to put together a complete football team, and the defense has consistently undermined what should have been winning performances.
That absolutely falls on Rodriguez. He’s the head coach. He’s responsible for the staff he assembled, the players he brought in, and ultimately the product we see on Saturdays. I’m not interested in making excuses for him, and I don’t think he wants anyone making excuses for him, either.
But holding a coach accountable and losing faith in his ability to build a winning program are two entirely different things.
I also believe there’s something to be said for having a head coach who genuinely understands West Virginia. Rodriguez knows what this football program means to the people of this state. He understands the expectations, the passion, and the pride that come with wearing the Flying WV. This isn’t just another coaching stop for him. This is personal.
And while understanding West Virginia certainly doesn’t guarantee success, I believe it matters when you’re trying to rebuild a program that desperately needs to rediscover what made it special.
I want a head coach who demands toughness. I want a head coach who gets angry when his players aren’t performing. I want someone who isn’t afraid to challenge his team, hold people accountable, and make difficult decisions. I want a coach who expects his players to compete with the same intensity whether they’re playing for a conference championship or simply trying to salvage a disappointing season.
That’s who I believe Rich Rodriguez is.
Does he have to prove it on the field? Absolutely.
Does he need to make changes if certain aspects of this program aren’t working? Without question.
And does he deserve criticism for the way this season has unfolded? One hundred percent.
But I’m not ready to abandon the vision because the results haven’t arrived as quickly as we wanted.
The reality is that West Virginia didn’t become a national power overnight during Rodriguez’s first tenure, and rebuilding that kind of program in today’s college football environment might be an even more difficult undertaking. There are going to be setbacks. There are going to be frustrating losses. There are going to be moments when people question whether the entire thing is going to work.
We’re living through one of those moments right now.
What matters is how Rodriguez responds. He has to evaluate his staff, continue upgrading the roster, demand better execution, and make sure the players understand that the performances we’ve witnessed over the last several weeks simply aren’t acceptable at West Virginia University.
And if the people currently responsible for getting the job done aren’t capable of doing it, then he has to find people who are.
My support for Rich Rodriguez doesn’t mean I think he’s above criticism. Anyone who has followed my coverage knows I’ve been plenty critical of this team, particularly its defense. I’m going to continue asking difficult questions, and I’m going to continue holding this coaching staff accountable when the results aren’t good enough.
But I also refuse to confuse short-term disappointment with long-term failure.
I believed Rich Rodriguez was the right man for this job when he was hired. I believed he was the right man to restore the toughness, pride, and winning mentality that once defined West Virginia football. And despite everything that’s happened so far, I still believe that today.
Maybe that makes me overly optimistic. Maybe I’ll eventually be proven wrong. I’m certainly not going to pretend there’s a guarantee that this works out the way we all hope.
But I know what Rich Rodriguez has built before. I know what he’s capable of doing when he gets the right players and coaches in place. And I know that the kind of hard-nosed, physical, relentless football program he wants to establish is exactly what West Virginia needs.
The record isn’t good enough. The defense isn’t good enough. The overall product isn’t good enough.
But I still believe in the man leading this program.
My belief in Rich Rodriguez hasn’t wavered. And until he proves that he’s incapable of rebuilding West Virginia football, I’m not giving up on him.
