The West Virginia Mountaineers did not exactly have a great season during Rich Rodriguez's first year back in charge of the program. WVU won just four games, marking their worst finish since the 2013 season and leaving the fan base – and Rodriguez himself – with a lot of frustration.
Now, the Mountaineers are coming off another massive roster overhaul for a second consecutive year – but Rodriguez does have some pieces returning, and a foundational culture laid after one year coaching several of the current players. And after signing a standout recruiting class and a competitive spring season, Rodriguez seems to be optimistic about the 2026 campaign.
West Virginia Mountaineers set to take things to another gear this fall
Rodriguez sat down for an offseason interview with Pete Nakos at On3 recently, and he made sure to make it clear that he isn't expecting another downtrodden season for his team, despite adding over 80 new players for the second consecutive year.
According to Nakos, Rodriguez believes "the Mountaineers are 'due to take it up another notch' in year two." And while that may just be coach speak – because you can't exactly spend your summer media run talking about how bad your team likely will be – there are reasons to believe Rodriguez when he says improvements are coming.
NEW: West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez tells @PeteNakos the Mountaineers are "due to take it up another notch" in year two📈
— On3 (@On3) June 24, 2026
"I’ve had people say, ‘How do you coach them hard now that you’re paying them?' I’m like, hell, you can coach them harder because you’re paying them. They’ve… pic.twitter.com/cuwo2e6ntd
Rodriguez isn't exactly known for sugarcoating things, and both during spring practices last year immediately following his return and at multiple points during his first season back, he wasn't able to hide all of his frustrations. He wore the fact that he wasn't happy with where the team was at on his sleeve.
While there were moments of concern for fans when Rodriguez spoke this season, the overall tone of his approach seemed to indicate a coach that was feeling much more settled into the job, and much happier with the talent on his roster. So to hear him follow that up in the summer by telling national media he expect his team to "take it up another notch" gives the vibes that there are turly higher expectations around the program for success this fall.
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