Ross Hodge’s Locker Room Words Reveal How Deeply He Understands West Virginia

The biggest fear West Virginia fans have when a new football, basketball, baseball, or soccer coach is hired is that said new coach doesn't "get" what Mountaineer athletics mean to the people of the state, and that if they're not from the state, there's a good chance they won't be a strong fit.

After Darian DeVries' one-and-done last year, that poured some extra fuel into the narrative. It's only four games into the Ross Hodge era, but it's safe to say, this guy "gets it."

He embraced the Backyard Brawl rivalry and even opened up his postgame press conference by sending his condolences to the coal miner who passed away earlier this week in Nicholas County.

Following the game, Hodge sang Country Roads with the Mountaineer Maniacs, partially singing and then also taking a few moments to just look around Hope Coliseum and soak it all in. You can tell he wants to be here and plant roots.

Ross Hodge celebrates his first Backyard Brawl win and sings Country Roads with the @WVUMANIACS 🙌#WVU #HailWV pic.twitter.com/Xp3W4kmNZp
— Ryan Decker (@RyanDecker_) November 14, 2025

Part of his postgame message to the team in the locker room was shared on social media, and it's something you wouldn't expect for a guy who has only coached in four games at WVU and has no prior connection to the state or university.

“This means so much to so many people around here, man. That’s what I want you guys to take forward, and we’re understanding it. But when you play here, you don’t just play for each other; we know that. You really are playing for an entire state. That’s what makes this place special.”

We know what it means.

🗣️ @coachrosshodge pic.twitter.com/FW641mjG1l
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) November 14, 2025

When asked about how he thought his team handled the pressure of the rivalry and all the noise surrounding it, he responded, “I thought the maturity of our team was on full display. We talked about it, and we never shied away internally or externally about what this game meant to the state, the people of West Virginia, and how passionate it is to this fan base. We talked about it, we knew it. We didn’t run away from it. We didn’t try to hide from it. We didn’t try to ‘next game’ it. At the same time, we knew when the ball tipped, we were going to have to go out there and execute and play within ourselves.”

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI