No Traditional Spring Game for WVU? Rich Rod Details Plan for Gold-Blue Spring Festival

The Mountaineers enter their second year under head football coach Rich Rodriguez with plenty of expectations and excitement surrounding the program. With spring ball beginning soon, we can finally start to look ahead to getting the first look at the 2026 edition of the Mountaineers, which Rodriguez said will have a different name with a new and improved experience for fans.

“I think we’re calling it like a Spring Festival,” Rodriguez told the media earlier this week. “We’re trying to make it an event for fans to come out and to be fan-friendly. I think they want to see some football too, so we’ll have some competitive stuff. We may do things a little bit different — do some one-on-ones and some different things that fans may want to watch. The scrimmage part, I’ve never been that that’s the end-all be-all, and if you had a great spring scrimmage, that means you’re destined for greatness or the opposite. We’ll come up with a format.”

There is a lot to take away from Rodriguez’s comment about this new style of spring game for the Mountaineers. The first thing we have to take note of is the mention of making the event something for fans to come out and enjoy. Seeing one-on-one drills and things that stray away from what we know as a traditional spring game is a great way to keep fans interested.

Rodriguez makes it clear that he doesn’t take too much away from the scrimmage aspect of spring games. I would have to imagine there still will be a scrimmage to some extent, but I certainly wouldn’t expect Rodriguez to have any major takeaways from this spring football showcase.

The official name of the event will be the “Gold-Blue Spring Festival.” It will take place on Saturday, April 18th, at Milan Puskar Stadium. Admission will be free for fans, but you will have to claim tickets on the WVU Football website. The event will not only be the first time we get to see this rendition of Rodriguez’s Mountaineers take the field, but it will also include a free postgame concert from country music artist Jake Owen on the field.

Get ready for the 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱-𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 🏈🎸

Mark your calendars for April 18 to get your first-look at the 2026 squad + see @jakeowen take the stage live at MPS! 🎶

CLAIM FREE 🎟️: https://t.co/0vblAj6foA
PREMIUM TAILGATES 🛻: https://t.co/53Z9Roz6D3… pic.twitter.com/sQPv2tahZV
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) March 5, 2026

This is a new take on spring football for the West Virginia program and Rodriguez. Getting fans excited for the upcoming season with drills fans want to see is what spring football should be about. It seems like coach Rodriguez and the entire program are building a new spring football event for fans to get excited for each year for years to come.