Pat McAfee Believes Rich Rodriguez Has “His Guys” Again at WVU

Could we be in store for a big turnaround by the Mountaineers in 2026?

Jun 12, 2026; Omaha, NE, USA; Pat McAfee, host of The Pat McAfee Show, talks during a broadcast at Blatt Beer and Table before the game between the Troy Trojans and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Rich Rodriguez did everything he could to make year one in his return to West Virginia successful. Obviously, things didn’t work out as the Mountaineers went 4-8 and were blown out on several occasions, but that’s what happens when you piece together a team over a handful of months with very little experience. He faced an uphill battle, and it played out as it often does for first-year coaches — misery.

Putting the Mountaineers back on the map was never going to happen overnight, and heck, it may not happen in 2026, but the one thing that we should see from this year's squad is a competitiveness that aligns with Rodriguez‘s vision for the future.

Back when Rodriguez was in Omaha on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, they did discuss a little football, and his former punter/kicker seems to have established confidence in the roster that we’ll see take the field against Coastal Carolina here in less than 70 days.

“Listen, we’re going to win football games because he is coaching the team. We know that. I understand that, we all know that. His style wins. If you just look at his style, it wins. But I also think he’s finding the guys for him. I couldn’t even imagine these modern-age guys that aren’t Rich Rod guys going to the Mountaineers, getting there, and being like pfttt this ain’t for us. But when you find your guys, which I think you have. I think we have found…I like our team. I think we’re going to have dogs forever, and I like the fact that you have not lost your hard edge at all.”

The Hard Edge is starting to take shape

Sep 27, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez reacts on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Utah Utes at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Recruiting rankings are cool and all, but if you throw all of that to the side and evaluate the players by the way they play the game, you'll quickly realize that the guys Rich Rod and his staff brought in through the high school ranks and the transfer portal all have a certain level of toughness and physicality about them that last year's group either didn't have or failed to tap into.

That's on both sides of the ball, but the one spot that will be the most noticeable to the casual fan will be the offensive line. Those guys play with a serious mean streak and confidence, which will allow this offense to function properly this fall.

The deeper Rodriguez gets into his second stint here at WVU, the more you'll see that type of attitude throughout the roster. It will be ingrained in them.