Gatorade teams up with Dana Holgorsen

Since taking over as head coach of the WVU football team in 2011, Dana Holgorsen has been a walking billboard for Red Bull energy drinks.

Because of his sideline demeanor and colorful antics, Holgorsen seems to need a quick hit of the Red Bull to stay on top of his own game while the Mountaineers are in a heated battle on the field. He even had a trusty Red Bull mini fridge on the sideline with him in case he needed some boost at any time during the game.

This offseason, Dana Holgorsen made waves by trading in the Red Bull cans for bigger bottles of Monster energy drink. The shocking move was more of a contractual obligation because Monster’s parent company, Coca-Cola, has long been a sponsor of West Virginia University athletics.

It’s hard to tell what impact, if any, this will have on Holgorsen and his team. The containers that Monster sells seem to be bigger than the trademarked smaller cans of Red Bull, so Holgorsen may actually be loading up more on the energy thanks to this switch.

It has yet to be determined if Dana Holgorsen had already switched over to Monster with training camp already two weeks in. Maybe it was a moment of weakness, or just second-hand nature, but Holgorsen was seen drinking a Red Bull during a recent practice.

He probably wasn’t disciplined for the move, but he may have learned that the old habit may not be best for him moving forward. Come opening day Sept. 3 in FedEx Field, or the home opener on Sept. 9, Holgorsen should be in full Monster mode.

Until then, though, Dana Holgorsen has a new vice that has taken the college football world by storm.

At a press conference this week, Dana Holgorsen gave a glowing promotion to Gatorade. Not just any Gatorade, mind you. Holgorsen is now hooked on Gatorade in a can.

"“If you guys have never tried Gatorade in a can, you need  to try it,” Holgorsen said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s not just a little bit better. It’s a lot better.”"

The head coach is obviously one for convenience, as evident by his love of the handheld Red Bull cans of the past few years. Popping the top and taking a swig does seem a lot easier than the more complicated version of the bottles that come in twist tops, squeeze bottles and squirting caps.

The WVU athletic office Twitter account send a video of the press conference to Gatorade and the sports drink account answered back rather quickly.

No longer a drink just for the Florida Gators, Gatorade is offering something big to the Mountain State. It’ll be interesting to see what is on the way to Morgantown from Gatorade. A lifetime supply of canned Gatorade, perhaps? Maybe the Gatorade cans will be available to fans at Milan Puskar Stadium? Whatever happens, it will be great for the Mountaineers and Dana Holgorsen.

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This move also shows the power of social media. Anything, positive or negative, can go viral in mere minutes. Holgorsen has been on both side of that coin. Luckily, this was one of the lighter side instances that comes out as a win for everyone involved.

Bottoms up, Dana!