Okay, so maybe it's a tad bit early to determine whether the return of Rich Rodriguez is 100 percent the choice that needed to be made by WVU Athletic Director Wren Baker last December. But a recent revelation from the school gives a pretty solid indicator that it was probably the right move.
The news was announced on Thursday that the Mountaineers have officially sold out of season ticket packages, distributing a whopping 33,634 season tickets for the 2025 season. That number is significant because it is the largest number of season tickets sold by the program since they joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012.
In just TWO days, the 2025 Mountaineer football season kicks off—and the hype is REAL. With 33,634 season tickets sold, WVU fans have shown up in record numbers, marking the highest total since joining the Big 12 in 2012. pic.twitter.com/0b9I0vc9V3
— 🏈Touchdown City Show 🏈 (@TDC_Show) August 28, 2025
That number is also hard, tangible evidence that bring Rodriguez back to his home state and his alma mater for the first time since 2007 was probably the right choice. Now, of course, we must see results on the field before firmly deciding whether or not WVU pulled off the right hire, but the fact that bringing Rodriguez back to the West Virginia Mountaineers has generated enough excitement around the program that season ticket sales are at their highest in a decade is honestly incredible.
It's even more impressive than it might first strike you once you consider that last season ended with a 6-7 record and the Mountaineers haven't been ranked in the AP Poll since the end of the 2018 season. And don't think that the revenue from all those season tickets isn't more important than ever in the age of revenue sharing.
But ticket sales are the only sign the move was the right one so far -- the hire has been graded positively by multiple national outlets, and Rodriguez was even recently awarded a 'Herbie Award' from legendary college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit for the best offseason coaching hire.
"We know what Rich Rod is going to do, and how about him with his press conferences?" Herbstreit said. "We've got a character back in the limelight, which I just love to see. He's just very direct. He says, 'We've got everything here. We've got an ice cream (machine) back here. We've got sprinkles. We've got it all – more than these guys need!' He's going to be a lot of fun."