Morgantown, WV – It’s anyone’s guess as to how Rich Rodriguez’s second stint in Morgantown will go. The prodigal son returned to the Mountain State in December 2024 with hopes to recapture the magic of his incredible three-year run in the mid-to-late 2000s.
While Rodriguez has been optimistic about the future of the Mountaineer Football program, this hasn’t been a shared view of many around the nation. ESPN, who regularly gives preseason predictions, recently gave West Virginia a grim two-year outlook, according to their Football Power Index.
The outlet revealed their Power Four rankings through the 2026 season. West Virginia, who will be enduring a mass overhaul of coaches and players, was tabbed 66th out of 68 teams, per ESPN.
While the article didn’t necessarily point out one area of weakness, Adam Rittenburg did point out the mostly new roster the Mountaineers will be going into 2025 with.
“Massive roster turnover comes with the territory when you make coaching changes in the portal era, and West Virginia will have essentially a new team in 2025. Some of the departures will sting, especially on offense as lineman Tomas Rimac and others are gone, but West Virginia also retained leading rusher Jahiem White and Marchiol in the backfield…” -Adam Rittenburg (ESPN)
As with all sports, nothing can truly be projected, especially with a coaching change. The future success of the Mountaineer Football program depends on how well Rodriguez and the new roster additions can gel. If West Virginia can experience some kind of success in 2025, even just bowl eligibility, it will give Rodriguez a solid foundation to build on moving forward.
Fans will find out how the Mountaineers will fair in just a little over two months. West Virginia is slated to begin the 2025 season at home against FCS opponent Robert Morris. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
(Photo by WVU Athletics)
