MAILBAG: Explanation for Departures, Portal Approach, New Coach, P4 Talent, + More

Good afternoon, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

From @jon_helman:

Q: First of all, I just wanted to thank you for providing great insight on everything WVU. Now with that being said, with the hire of Larry Knight, does that mean Willy Green is gone, or is he maybe moving to a different position? Any more coaching rumors happening?

A: Thank you for the kind words, Jon! I've not been able to get a clear answer as of this morning, but I don't believe Green is going anywhere. I think this is more of a positional thing where he'll be helping that group up front as opposed to completely taking it over. Once I get it confirmed, I'll either update this post or have a new story up. Great hire, by the way.

From @412lawyer:

Q: Is all this turnover with WVU football sustainable? Is it a bad sign that Rich Rod hasn’t been retaining talent on the roster? Do you think the coaching staff is pushing these guys out or are they not buying into the new culture?

A: I think there's a huge misunderstanding from the fan base about many of these departures. Many of them were told they wouldn't have a roster spot in 2026. It sounds harsh, but it's a business now. I'll go more in-depth with it tomorrow on Between The Eers, but if you look at who is leaving, they either didn't play, don't fit the scheme, or didn't develop as the staff had hoped.

When it comes to the two stars... well, that was about the injury to Jahiem, which brought down the price on WVU's side, which led to him hitting the portal. Cam Vaughn was more about not meeting the expectations and standards that the staff has.

This level of turnover is not sustainable, and Rodriguez knows that. But having it happen again this year was inevitable. You have a roster limit now, and they were so behind in the portal last year that they were just getting guys on board to field a team. This won't be a yearly thing. At least not to this degree.

From @v55_dub:

Q: I’ve recently been thinking more about why we cannot attract more proven players out of the portal. Is it more important to get more portal additions (ie, more bang for your buck and add more in volume) I know it’s early in the process with tons of movement ahead.

A: The main reason is money. And there are two factors to it. One, you can't go after the top-tier talent when you're still having to stretch what money you do have out to fill so many holes on the roster. Once the roster gets in a much better place, they'll be able to throw more money toward the "top-tier" guys in the portal. Secondly, WVU needs more money. No, they're not broke, but they could be in a better place.

From @MrEd315:

Q: What’s your gut feeling on how well things will work out for some top WVU football players transferring out? And how ugly things may go for others in the portal?

A: Ooh, great question, Ed! I think there will be a handful who end up having really successful careers, such as Jahiem White, Cam Vaughn, Dawayne Galloway, and Israel Boyce, but everyone else? Man, I don't know. I think we're going to see the majority of these guys transfer down to the Group of Five, FCS, or perhaps even Division II. There's not much Power Four talent walking out the door.

From @ScottEl13805771:

Q: How many P4 transfer portal players do you expect to be signed?

A: Don't have an exact number, but there will be more than folks think. There's this fear that it's going to be all G5, FCS, D-II, and JUCO guys, and that's not the case. Five or six may be a safe number as a guess.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my poston Facebook.

From @jon_helman:

From @412lawyer:

From @v55_dub:

From @MrEd315:

From @ScottEl13805771:

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