The Inflatable Helmet Isn't Returning, But WVU is Changing Their Pregame Entrance

Rich Rod was the bearer of some bad news on Monday, but also notified fans of a change they will love.

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

When Rich Rodriguez was here in the early 2000s, leading the West Virginia Mountaineers, the team used to enter the field, running through the tunnel through a massive inflatable helmet. It's something that a segment of the fan base has been calling for to return, but unfortunately for those hoping it would make a comeback, that's not happening.

Rich Rod delivered that news during his radio show on Monday, but did reveal that WVU will be coming out of the tunnel again.

“Disappointing to tell you, uh, no. It’s not (coming back). We have a pretty neat entrance, but we are coming out of the tunnel now, which I really like. We’re coming out of the tunnel like the Gladiators. Last year we were coming out of the weight room, and that’s kind of average. I like coming out of the tunnel. There’s going to be a tunnel cam, so when we go down the tunnel, you can see on the big screen as we walk out. We're still going to have the smoke and running out of there like normal, but just going to do it out of a little bit of a hidden deal with the tunnel."

To be honest, the helmet was a cool thing back in the early 2000s. Doing it now just wouldn't seem right. It's kind of a dated idea, and you can do a lot more cooler things than an inflatable helmet. It's something your local high school probably does.

Part of me wonders, too, if it's just because it was part of one of the best eras of WVU football? Like, would the fans still think as much of it if those three consecutive 11-win seasons didn't happen? My guess is probably not. But trust me, I get it. Why not try to bring back as much as possible from that era? Maybe it was a hidden part of the recipe. Rich Rod is back, Pat White is back, Noel Devine is back, the glossy helmets are back, the shoulder chips are back, the train on the big screen is back — the inflatable helmet is really the one thing from that timeframe that is missing.

Regardless of your thoughts on it, I think we can all agree that the team coming out of the tunnel is going to create a much better energy than running out of the weight room and onto that wide open area of the field where there aren't any fans aside from those that have field access.