Bruce Irvin Gives Funny Reaction to Tony Gibson's 'Owning' West Virginia Comment

Bruce keeps it real.

Feb 16, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers fans take a photograph with West Virginia former defensive end Bruce Irvin (R) before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at the WVU Coliseum. West Virginia won 62-61. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Marshall head coach and former West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson made headlines around the Mountain State with his recent comment on recruiting.

Gibson stated, "We’re going to own this state. We’re not going to let the good players leave this state or go to that school up north if I have anything to do with it. I promise you that.”

Former West Virginia pass rusher Bruce Irvin is one to speak his mind, and after seeing Gibson's recent comments, he couldn't help but offer his two cents.

He don’t even believe that shit 😩😂😂 https://t.co/fQumS02DrO
— Bruce Irvin (@BIrvin_WVU11) February 8, 2025

If we're being honest here, Irvin is probably right. Gibson knows that he's at a massive disadvantage if he were to be in a recruiting battle against Rich Rodriguez and the Mountaineers, but what else is he supposed to say? He's doing what every other head coach would/should do, and that's to display confidence in his program and his staff's ability to recruit.

All that said, Marshall won't be winning any recruiting battles over West Virginia anytime soon, if ever. Recruits that are worthy of playing at WVU will either end up in Morgantown or another Power Four school. That's just reality. Why on Earth would a recruit choose to play at the Group of Five level if he has several opportunities at the Power Four level?

The Herd may land more in-state kids than West Virginia, but many of those players probably aren't built to play in the Big 12.

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