West Virginia Officially Adds SEC Assistant to Coaching Staff

West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez officially announced the hiring of Deke Adams to the coaching staff on Monday afternoon. Adams will join the staff as the defensive ends coach, a role that he has filled twice this offseason, as Adams is the replacement for Larry Knight, who left for Georgia after just one month on the job.

Welcome to Almost Heaven, @CoachDekeAdams!

🔗https://t.co/79CpCTmidG #HailWV pic.twitter.com/ULpe2Cn3nv
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) March 2, 2026

"Deke brings an extensive background in developing and coaching defensive linemen," Rodriguez said in a press release. "He is an outstanding addition to the Mountaineer coaching staff, and I want to welcome him, his wife, Alexis, and his two sons to our football program."

Development seems to be the keyword here, and few coaches in the nation have more experience coaching and developing defensive linemen than Adams.

In his 19 seasons coaching at the FBS level, Adams has always had a hand in the defensive line, whether it was being in charge of the position or a broader role as the defensive coordinator. Adams has coaching experience that dates back to 1997 with notable stops at Jacksonville State, Southern Miss, North Carolina, South Carolina, East Carolina, Mississippi State, Mississippi, and Florida International.

Adams' most recent coaching stop was with the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he spent the past four seasons, serving as the defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator. Adams' impact was felt immediately with the Razorbacks, seeing improvements in yards per play and setting a program sack record in 2022. Fans should be excited at the prospect of seeing the West Virginia defensive line potentially taking a major step up in 2026.

Rich Rodriguez is Aiming for Immediate Success in Year Two

The Mountaineers have seen only one season with more than six wins this decade. WVU finished 14th of 16 in the Big 12 conference this season with a 2-7 record in conference, and a 4-8 record overall.

While it is tough to have serious expectations in year one for a head coach, this upcoming season feels especially important for the future of the program. The Big 12 is wide open, and with a favorable non-conference schedule, this could be the year we finally see the Mountaineers break through.

WVU plays Coastal Carolina and UT Martin in Morgantown to kick off its 2026 season. Then, WVU travels to Bank of America Stadium to take on Virginia in a crucial neutral-site game.

The Big 12 schedule, consisting of Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, Houston, and Utah, is what will make or break WVU's 2026 season. Several teams, like Oklahoma State and Iowa State, will have new coaches, and teams like Texas Tech lost a lot of productive starters to the NFL.

Coach Rodriguez is hoping that additions like Adams can help them gain an edge they didn't have in year one and help bring West Virginia football back to prominence.