Some of the most fun traditions for WVU football involves the Mountaineers' mascot, portrayed each year by a West Virginia student outfitted in a buckskin costume with a muzzle-loaded rifle. Few things get the crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium fired up quite like the Mountaineer firing his musket after a WVU touchdown, which is followed by the mascot performing one push-up for every point the Mountaineers have put on the scoreboard.
Cade Kincaid, who is serving as the Mountaineer for the 2025-2026 school year, made the trip to Big 12 Football Media Days in Dallas, Texas this week alongside West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez and group of his players. During the first day of the event, the mascots in attendance were brought together for a photography session by On3 reporters -- after which Kincaid was pulled aside for an interview.
When asked about any conversations with Rich Rodriguez this offseason, Kincaid mentioned two pieces of advice he's gotten from Rodriguez to prepare for the upcoming season which showcases exactly why so many fans of the Mountaineers are excited about his return to the sidelines in Morgantown.
"He said tell your people two things -- get ready to do more push-ups, and buy more gunpowder," Kincaid said.
Rodriguez himself will be available to the media on Wednesday, July 9 at the two-day event, where WVU fans will get their first opportunity to hear from Rodriguez since the team's press conference following the 2025 Gold-Blue Spring Showcase. It will be interesting to hear Rodriguez speak about his team after seeing more development during summer workouts and continuing to piece together his roster, and what his outlook for the future of the program might be with the House Settlement now officially approved.