Rich Rodriguez Didn't Name His Starting QB — But He Didn't Have To

The West Virginia quarterback situation isn't really a secret, although no starter has been publicly named.

Aug 30, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez along the sidelines during the first quarter against the Robert Morris Colonials at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With it being media day, I figured we would see someone ask West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez point-blank who the starting quarterback will be in 2026. That didn't happen.

Instead, he was asked about the quarterback room as a whole, and if you read into his response, he said it without actually saying it.

"We wanted to get competition at every position and legitimate competition. And we wanted guys that had production, not potential. So at the quarterback spot, Scotty coming back, he had played as a really young true freshman last year and competed well; he's gotten better. But we wanted a guy we think could compete with the starting job and maybe take us to a whole other level, and that was Mike Hawkins, who had a great spring," he stated. "He can run, he can throw. The thing I was most impressed with Mike...and Scotty, both in spring, was their decisiveness. I'm excited about those two leading the charge there, but I'm also excited that we were able to get competition at almost every position."

The guy who can take this offense to a "whole other level"

WVU Athletics Communications

Mike Hawkins Jr. has been everything West Virginia expected and then some. The moment he entered the transfer portal, WVU GM Chuck Lillie and Rich Rod knew he was the guy they wanted. Obviously, they browsed other options in the portal and kept in touch with others just in case they didn't land Hawkins. Fortunately for WVU, he committed shortly after this visit, and all he had to do was come in, learn the offense, and prove he is the future of the program, and he did exactly that.

As you are all aware, Rodriguez isn't the type of coach who will just run to the media and announce his entire starting lineup or give away who is making a serious push at a certain position. You have to ask him directly, and even then, he may still find a way to avoid the question. It's not necessarily a bad thing, either. By telling the media his plans at QB, OL, LB, etc., he's also telling the opponent.

There's a chance that we go through all of fall camp without Rodriguez publicly announcing Hawkins as the starter, but it's not because there's an ongoing battle. This job has been decided for quite some time, and it's not really a secret to anyone.