Rich Rodriguez and WVU football to reunite with veteran offensive line coach

West Virginia football fans will be glad to see the return of a familiar face to the program's coaching staff next fall.

Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported earlier tonight that WVU football is expected to hire Rick Trickett to their staff. Trickett, 77, was the program's offensive line coach from 2001-2006, serving during six seasons of the current head coach Rich Rodriguez's first stint leading the Mountaineers. He most recently served as the offensive line coach at Jacksonville State, where he worked with Rodriguez before sticking around for the 2025 season after Rodriguez returned to Morgantown.

The move comes after the Mountaineers limped to a 4-8 finish in Rodriguez's first season back at the helm, in large part to poor offensive play highlighted by significant struggles across the offensive line. Where the hire will leave current offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr., who is only on a one-year contract with the program, is still unknown. Trickett could join as an analyst or assistant offensive line coach, as there are no limits for on-field coaches at the NCAA level. But it also could be an early indication that Bicknell is on his way out the door in Morgantown after his offensive line unit under-performed in 2025.

There was interest in Trickett on WVU's end for the offensive line coaching role last offseason, but Trickett was rumored to have shot down the notion of leaving Jacksonville State due to a combination of his age and a desire to coach with his son Clint, a former WVU quarterback who spent 2025 with the Gamecocks before being hired by Arkansas earlier this month. With his son off to the SEC, it gives Trickett the opportunity to reunite with another son, Travis, who is currently an offensive assistant with the Mountaineers.