By the Numbers: How Ross Hodge Compares to Other First-Year Coaches at Major Programs

Checking in on how the WVU head coach compares to his peers.

Jan 27, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge celebrates with fans after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Imagesa | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

It's been an up-and-down first year for Ross Hodge as the head coach of West Virginia, but here of late, it's been a hard product to watch, particularly on the offensive end of the floor.

The talent is just not at the caliber needed to be a top team in the Big 12 or to make the NCAA Tournament. That said, you can still see why Wren Baker picked Hodge to be the guy a year ago — his defense is legit, he can recruit, and develop young players.

I mean, just think about it for a second. Amir Jenkins should be in high school right now, and at times, he's WVU's best option at point guard. Forward DJ Thomas was passed over by every major school, yet he's had some flashes here and there where he looks the part.

The roster will improve, meaning better days are ahead. But how has Hodge's first season compared to others around the country? I pulled some numbers from KenPom, along with each coach's winning percentage, to show you where Hodge stands with three games remaining in the regular season.

Note: The only coaches listed are those at high majors (Big East hires are included).

Winning percentage

1. Ryan Ward (Virginia) - .893
2. Jai Lucas (Miami) - .786
3. Kevin Willard (Villanova) - .778
T4. Ben McCollum (Iowa) - .704
T4. Bucky McMillan (Texas A&M) - .704
6. Will Wade (North Carolina State) - .679
7. Sean Miller (Texas) - .630
8. Darian DeVries (Indiana) - .607
9. Ross Hodge (West Virginia) - .571
10. Steven Pearl (Auburn) - .536
11. Luke Loucks (Florida State) - .500
12. Richard Pitino (Xavier) - .481
13. Niko Medved (Minnesota) - .464
14. Buzz Williams (Maryland) - .407
15. Alex Jensen (Utah) - .357

Strength of Schedule (Toughest to easiest, via KenPom)

Feb 18, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Steven Pearl reacts during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

1. Steven Pearl +17.21
2. Buzz Williams +13.44
3. Sean Miller +11.80
4. Alex Jensen +11.72
5. Will Wade +11.31
6. Darian DeVries +11.00
7. Luke Loucks +10.86
8. Richard Pitino +10.44
9. Niko Medved +10.20
10. Kevin Willard +10.09
11. Ben McCollum +9.40
12. Bucky McMillan +8.93
13. Ross Hodge +8.01
14. Ryan Odom +7.78
15. Jai Lucas +5.51

Offensive Rating (Best to worst, via KenPom)

Feb 21, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller on the sidelines during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

1. Sean Miller: 127.7
2. Steven Pearl: 125.8
3. Ryan Odom: 123.0
4. Will Wade: 122.8
5. Ben McCollum: 122.1
6. Kevin Willard: 121.7
7. Bucky McMillan: 121.4
8. Darian DeVries: 121.0
9. Jai Lucas: 120.8
10. Luke Loucks: 116.1
11. Richard Pitino: 115.0
12. Niko Medved: 114.4
13. Alex Jensen: 114.2
14. Buzz Williams: 111.9
15. Ross Hodge: 110.9

Defensive Rating (Best to worst, via KenPom)

Feb 18, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

1. Ryan Odom: 95.8
2. Ross Hodge: 98.3
3. Ben McCollum: 99.9
4. Kevin Willard: 100.3
5. Jai Lucas: 100.7
6. Will Wade: 101.2
7. Bucky McMillan: 101.5
8. Niko Medved: 102.3
9. Darian DeVries: 103.1
10. Luke Loucks: 104.7
11. StevenTh Pearl: 106.4
T12. Sean Miller: 106.9
T12. Richard Pitino: 106.9
14. Buzz Williams: 108.2
15. Alex Jensen: 108.8

My main takeaways

The numbers back what the eye sees. WVU's offense has been downright atrocious this season, which is somewhat surprising due to the shotmaking ability of Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff. The lack of a clear paint presence and a three-level scorer is what has impacted their respective games to a high degree. This offseason, they have to make it a priority to get guys who can score the ball in multiple ways. This roster is full of a bunch of one-trick ponies, making it easy to defend.

Defensively, it's what you would expect from a Ross Hodge-led squad. His team boasts the second-highest defensive rating among the new coaches, while also ranking fifth nationally in points per game allowed (64.5) and 38th in opponent field goal percentage (41.5%).

Just my opinion here, but I think it would be way more concerning if the defense were a trainwreck. That's Hodge's expertise, so the fact that they are playing at a high level on that end of the floor is encouraging. Now he just needs to land higher-quality talent in the transfer portal and make sure those guys can get buckets.