MAILBAG: Roster Cost, NIL Concerns, Regression, Winnable Games + More

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

From @Huddleston1138:

Q: With all the talk of RR being hired late, and the good portal players having been picked over, do we know what was spent on the 81 new players? Did they get these guys cheap to save money for next year? Or, did they pay a lot for subpar talent?

A: They spent significantly less money than most Power Four schools, I know that. How much they spent exactly, I'm not sure of. I don't think it had as much to do with the timeline of the hire, to be honest. They're trying to figure out the best cap system for them and how to allocate the money correctly. They knew they were going to have to bring in a ton of players, which means they weren't going to be able to compete for many of the top players in the portal. They had to field a roster. Next offseason, they won't have to cast as wide a net because they'll have a full high school recruiting class coming in, meaning they can spend more, if that makes sense.

From @harriman21159:

Q: I look at Indiana and Iowa State as the model for what our team should be. The arguments of “they have a richer football history” or “they are located in a better area” don’t make sense here. So what are these two schools doing differently that we aren’t? NIL? Talent? Resources?

A: Bret Bielema is a hell of a football coach who just found that right place to be in. Expectations aren't that high there, so anything he does above the norm of winning a handful of games is considered great, and he has been. The same can be said about Curt Cignetti — a great coach who knows how to build a program. Let's not kid ourselves, though. Indiana has had one of the easiest schedules in the country for two years running. Beyond that, I don't know their situations all that well. That said, as you mentioned, if it can happen there, it can happen here. And it will. Update: Just read your question wrong. For some reason, my eyes saw Indiana and Illinois. The same applies to Iowa State, though. Campbell is a great coach, but it also took time to get rolling.

From @wvufan2023:

What do you think happens out of these?

Q: A: Rich turns this thing around in the next year or two
B: We fire Rich bc he doesn’t turn it around
C: Make changes with staff and players to see how it goes in Year 2
D: We keep him around for so long, like we did with Neal, even if we suck

A: I think it'll be a mixture of A and C. I'd be shocked if there aren't staff changes, and not necessarily because of performance, but there are some guys who are in their first year working with Rich and may realize how different it is compared to everywhere else. Plus, Rod typically likes to keep his assistants (not coordinators) on short-term deals so that he can make changes easily, if necessary. I do think this will get turned around, and while I don't have a magic 8-ball to reveal exactly when that will happen, I'd assume 2027 is when things are in a much better place. Next year may not be great record-wise, but they'll be more competitive. At least that should be the hope.

From @MtneerShaw:

Q: The 7 remaining games are against teams that have lost a collective 5 games so far this season. Do you honestly think WVU will beat any of them, and if so, who & how?

A: I think UCF and Colorado are possible. The Knights are much better than I thought, but they are now on their third quarterback, I believe. The Buffs are going through their own struggles offensively, and having them travel to Morgantown should bode in the Mountaineers' favor.

From @DustinEichorn:

Q: How much of this is o-line play? Like if, and that’s a big if, we get that figured out, how competitive can we become?

A: A lot of it, and by a lot of it, I mean the majority of it. The problem is, I don't think it will get figured out this season. If you go back to 2019, Neal Brown and Matt Moore had a similar issue and knew it would take a few years to get it to a respectable place. The difference? This team can run the ball. That 2019 team was historically bad at running the football. Beyond that, though, they still have to figure things out at the quarterback position — is it Khalil Wilkins? Scotty Fox? Jaylen Henderson? Max Brown?

From @Engelhard2:

Q: Since the second half of the Kansas game, our defense has been pretty bad. Do you think the competition is improving or are we getting worse?

A: Competition is certainly improving, but I think the Utah game was an anomaly. The Kansas game really wasn't as bad as the final score would suggest. The kick return didn't help, and while the rush defense wasn't great, they were sticky in pass coverage. I expect them to return to form either this week or after the bye. Zac Alley is too good a coach and schemer for that to become the identity.

From @EERKing43:

Q: Any idea what this roster costs vs other Big 12 teams?

A: Not sure where this roster ranks or exactly how much it costs. It's really hard to find out details like that right now, but I wouldn't be surprised at some point if the NCAA requires some sort of transparency. Maybe I'm wrong. All I know is that what they spent this year isn't enough and that they'll spend significantly more moving forward.

From @bobmadigan_wvu:

Q: I understand there are injuries, but how is it possible this team looks worse every week? Everyone, from coaches to players, has gotten worse.

A: I think it's a combination of injuries and playing two of the best five or six teams in the Big 12. Utah is a legitimate Big 12 title contender, and Kansas is a dark horse, in my opinion. Those are two programs that have been established and are much further along (in Utah's case, two decades further).

From @Mountiealum97:

Q: How has WVU sunk so low??? Rutgers, Vandy, and Kansas have surpassed Mountaineer football. That’s really sad. Did we peak in the wrong era of CFB?

A: I'll preface this by saying, you're absolutely right. Those three schools have surpassed WVU, but that's not an indictment of this coaching staff. They're stuck cleaning up the mess Neal Brown and Co. left behind. Yes, I understand many of his players portaled out, but because of the coaching change, it put this staff in a difficult spot from a roster construction standpoint. Peak in the wrong era? I don't believe so. I'm not sure how close WVU can get to a national title in this era because it's a heck of a lot more difficult with the 12-team playoff, but they'll return to relevancy soon. It's just hard to see it.

From @TML25302:

Q: Are we all waiting for basketball at this point? Really, though, how many wins do you see left?

A: Yes, and no, to be honest. Yes, in terms of looking forward to something that provides hope, but no in the sense that there are still seven games left, and while some may sigh and roll their eyes thinking about having to watch that many more games, a lot can happen. A quarterback could emerge, the o-line may figure some things out and all of a sudden, you have some excitement generated at the end of the year heading into 2026.

From @JLGray88_:

Q: What is the reality for WVU football in this world of NIL? Will we ever be competitive again?

A: Moving forward, they'll be okay, but they really need their fans who own businesses or folks who have the means to donate, to donate. WVU has committed to moving its funding into the top tier of the Big 12, which will help, but it isn't necessarily the thing that's going to get Mountaineer football back on track.

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.