WVU Football News: Neal Brown targeted by CFP team, Rodriguez working out 'softness' in spring, and more

There has been a lot of news coming out regarding WVU football over the past few days, and it's easy to miss out on some of the biggest stories surrounding the Mountaineers.

Here's a recap of news stories that HailWV hasn't reported on yet that may have missed your screens, including a potential new home for a former head coach and a look at what has been keeping current head coach Rich Rodriguez busy during spring practice.

Neal Brown Targeted For Role on Prominent SEC Staff

According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247 Sports, former WVU Head Coach Neal Brown is beign targeted for a yet-unnamed role on the staff at former Big 12 rival and current SEC school Texas.

The Longhorns recently plucked former Brown assistant Chad Scott from the staff at WVU after Rodriguez had re-hired the running backs coach to a lucrative contract to remain with the program. Now, it appears Brown may have the opportunity to follow his former assisttant.

Texas finished last season 13-3, advancing to the SEC Championship game where they lost to Georgia. The Longhorns would then earn a College Football Playoff bid and fight their way to the semifinals before losing to eventual CFP National Champion Ohio State.

Rich Rodriguez Working Out 'Softness' In Spring Football

Rich Rodriguez often laments his players being soft. He's called out his newly inherited roster for engaging in too much 'softness' a few times already this spring.

During a press conference on Saturday, Rodriguez let people know that players who continue to be 'too soft' might not be in the right program.

“I told them afterwards -- I think it's there, I see moments where I think it's there," Rodriguez said.

"But if you’re soft, if you’re soft mentally and physically, you’re not going to make it. You’ll stand out amongst your teammates, stand out in the program, and it's not going to be the place for you. So it's pretty simple.”

Rodriguez also went into pretty vivid detail about exactly what he thinks is 'soft' play from his team, and also mentioned that it's "[on] us as coaches" to explain to the players what it means.

“I’m talking about like, you’re supposed to physically, in football terms, punch a guy and knock him off balance or instead you just lean into him,” Rodriguez said. 

“Or instead of driving a guy down the field, you just kind of, like, bear hug him. Instead of going to thud a guy and legally hit head in front and above the waist and you knock him backwards, you just kind of jog and tag him.”

Rich Rodriguez Finds New Running Backs Coach

The aforementioned loss of assistant coach Chad Scott certainly stings, but the Mountaineers seem to have found a worthy replacement.

FootballScoop reported that WVU will hire Larry Porter to fill the running backs coach role. Porter most recently coached with Mack White at UNC, but has also served stints at LSU, Auburn, and Texas. He is a veteran coach with a reputation for being an incredible recruiter, and he has landed numerous five-star prospects as an assistant coach over the years.

Leadership By Example For Rich Rodriguez

When asked at Saturday's press conference about the emergence of leaders on the roster, Rodriguez seemed to take a different approach towards what he feels he needs.

“I’m a little bit different with that. Everyone says you got to have leadership -- hell, leadership at practice, that’s my job," Rodriguez said.

"That’s the coach’s job. Where you need leadership is when you’re not around -- the locker room, summer time, weekends, whenever coaches aren’t around, that’s when you. Everybody says who’s showing the leadership on the field, well hell, it better be me.”

He did follow-up by mentioning there are some "assumed" on-field, in-game leadership roles that come with certain positions on the field. But for Rodriguez, he's a bit more concerned right now with demonstrating that leadership himself.

“The quarterback’s got to be obviously a leader on offense because he’s managing the, calling the plays and the cadence, and there’s a linebacker on defense calling the defense so those guys got to do, and that part of it's assumed, right? But like, who’s the leader up front -- hell, Coach Bicknell and myself," Rodriguez said.