Aiming High: Key Assistant Expects to Compete for a National Championship While at WVU

While the goal for every coach and player should be to be the best at what you do, it's not always something that is publicly discussed. In recent years at WVU, there was some hesitation to talk about lofty goals, and even those on a smaller scale.

It's been 17 years since West Virginia was in the national conversation and it feels like that was the last time those on staff, including the head coach himself, uttered the words "national championship."

Even if it's an unrealistic goal early in a staff's tenure, good coaches believe it to be possible and is something that they have to believe if they want that belief to trickle down to the players.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez mentioned winning a national championship several times on the day of his introductory press conference and in a short video clip on X, WVU special teams coordinator and defensive assistant Pat Kirkland echoed that belief.

“This is my second time here. We had tremendous success the first time at West Virginia. This is a place where we expect to compete for a conference championship and a national championship.”

💬 @coachpkirkland

"This is a place where we expect to compete for a conference championship and a national championship."@PanhandleCR pic.twitter.com/77pFHWy7ex
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) March 9, 2025

Kirkland was the Mountaineers' outside linebackers and safeties coach in 2007 and then the coordinator of recruiting from 2008-11. He then left to become the head coach at the University of Charleston, where he led the Golden Eagles to a 70-41 record. In 2022, he reunited with Rodriguez at Jacksonville State, serving as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach.

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