Bold Belief? Eugene Napoleon Has Zero Doubt Rich Rod Will Have WVU Bowling in 2025

Pretty much everywhere you look, the win total for West Virginia in 2025 is set at 5.5, meaning reaching a bowl game in year one for Rod Rodriguez is not a slam dunk. The schedule, question marks at quarterback, and having over 70 newcomers on the roster all factor into that 5.5 number.

That being said, this isn't unfamiliar territory for Rodriguez. He just did this a year ago at Jacksonville State, essentially flipping the roster in the summer, and went on to win the Conference USA championship despite a 0-3 start. Yes, it was at a lower level, but that experience will pay off greatly as he navigates a similar situation in Morgantown.

During our latest episode of Between The Eers, former Mountaineer running back Eugene Napoleon made his stance very clear on this year's team — they will make a bowl game.

Eugene says Rich Rod WILL get #WVU to a bowl in 2025. "The man just flat-out knows how to coach. At the end of the day, he's going to squeeze that last bit of juice out the orange to get what he needs. That's what he's done everywhere."

Full episode: https://t.co/H4Y0jsg6zj pic.twitter.com/OCj2kvSTGf
— Between The Eers (@BetweenTheEers) August 18, 2025

“Rich Rodriguez will be bowl eligible. Whether it’s 6-6, whether it’s 7-5, or it’s 8-4, they will be bowl eligible. There’s something about what his expectations are that very rarely the outcome is not what he wants. The man just flat-out knows how to coach. At the end of the day, he's going to squeeze that last bit of juice out the orange to get what he needs. That’s just been what he’s done, no matter where he’s been. Outside of Michigan, he’s won at every place he’s been. Whether people love him or hate him, I think they tend to forget that. You take the personal part out of it and just look at him as a pure coach, Rich Rodriguez is a heck of a football coach. Let’s be clear. He will have them prepared. Barring injury and barring depth issues, they should be, they WILL be bowl eligible. Mark that down.”

Eugene predicted West Virginia to go 9-3 with losses coming to Utah, TCU, and Colorado. He did note that he had them projected at 8-4 until Darryl Talley brought something to his attention that led to adding on another W.

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