President Benson Says He's Yet to See a More Passionate Fan Base Than WVU's

In February of 2025, West Virginia announced that Michael T. Benson would become the 27th President of WVU. He officially took over for E. Gordon Gee in mid-July, so he has only been on the job for a little over a year, and he's already been impressed by the deep care fans have for WVU athletics.

To kick off our coverage of game week against Coastal Carolina, we were joined by President Benson on In the Gun, to discuss a variety of things, including him getting to see some of his former co-workers from Coastal later in the week.

The one thing that really stood out in our time with the President was his comments about the atmosphere on game day.

"I have been to a lot of games. My daughter is down at Auburn. We went to a game last year with her when she was applying. You know, it’s tough to beat an SEC environment, but that said, I have yet to see a more passionate fan base on a game day than you see in Morgantown. I mean, as you know, we become the largest city in the state, and people show up the night before, two nights before. The blue lot has somehow transformed from parking for people going in to get medical procedures to being host to some pretty wacky fans that are way into it. I have really enjoyed the passion of West Virginia fans, the Mountaineer Faithful.

"You saw it in Omaha. I mean, to be able to see how we took over that city and became kind of America’s favorite. I think the one thing you have to kind of focus in on is we have this anthem. We have this song that at all the high-water marks at the academic year, graduation, at weddings, bar mitzvah — these moments that matter to people — we have this unifying anthem that we sing that people sing.

"I talk about a swing…last year we got beat pretty handily by Ohio, and the mood in the state was just so bad. I mean, people were just in the doldrums, and it flipped six days later when all of a sudden we beat Pitt and life is good again. That was as fun an environment as I’ve seen. My kids were all there, and they still talk about it. They talk about that 10-point comeback and going to overtime and singing our song after. And that’s an environment that I think is unlike anything else in America.”

It just means more...

Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers fans cheer during the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Yeah, you can take that as a shot at the SEC, if you want. But it's the truth. In West Virginia, the results mean more to the people because they provide a chance to shine a positive light on a state that doesn't typically receive that kind of attention. It's the one thing that folks can look forward to every week. Winning a national championship, in any sport, would bring so many West Virginians to tears because it's more than your favorite college winning it all. It would make folks in the state feel like they are on top of the world. As Rich Rodriguez, Ross Hodge, and Steve Sabins always say, when you play for WVU, you're not just playing for the university; you are playing for an entire state.

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