Why the Best Era of WVU Sports Could Be Just Around the Corner

It's been several years of disappointment for WVU fans, particularly when it comes to the two big teams on campus — football and men's basketball. The football team has had average or below average results in six of the last seven seasons, and men's hoops just completed its fourth season in a row with a new head coach, last making the NCAA Tournament in 2023.

But those struggles may not stick around for much longer, and in fact, we could be entering the golden age of Mountaineer sports IF the big two get back on track and become title contenders in the Big 12.

Football

This is the big one, of course. It's the largest revenue driver and the one that will bring the most attention to the university if Rich Rod can get things turned around. There is a lot of uncertainty about the future of the program, and understandably so. It's a much different landscape than the one we were all accustomed to seeing the Mountaineers compete in at a high level. That said, they have a coach in place who is going to take this rebuild personally and will hold everyone accountable. The 4-8 record in 2025 isn't a good indication of where this thing is headed. He just landed a top-25 high school recruiting class and a transfer portal class as well. The level of talent coming into the building will only continue to get better as they win more games.

Men's Basketball

There are mixed feelings about Ross Hodge from West Virginia fans, but there should still be optimism, especially considering he's already landed the top recruit in program history (Miles Sadler) and is in a good spot for a few other top 100 prospects in future classes. The fact that he won 18 (and possibly more) games this season with this roster is impressive when you look at the overall level of talent he had.

Women's Basketball

The job Mark Kellogg has done in his first three years doesn't get talked about nearly enough nationally. He's won 25 games each season, making him the only coach in program history to have accomplished that mark across three seasons, and he's done it in his first three years. Winning the Big 12 Conference tournament and hosting the NCAA Tournament was the next step for the program, and now, it'll be about finally advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and potentially beyond. All Kellogg has done throughout his career is win, and I don't expect that to change.

Baseball

Steve Sabins has done an amazing job in his short time as the Mountaineers' head coach, continuing to build on the foundation that Randy Mazey laid for this program. In his first year on the job, he helped lead the team to its first outright Big 12 title and took them back to super regionals. There's still a lot of season left, but they appear to be well on their way to having similar success not only this year, but for years to come. They have become one of the Big 12's most consistent programs.

Rifle

I mean, do we really need to go that in-depth here? The 21-time national champions are the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, New York Yankees, and the Alabama football of rifle. They have been great for a long period of time, and as long as Jon Hammond is in place, they will continue their two-decade-long dynasty.

Men's Soccer

Dan Stratford has won over 70% of his games while at West Virginia, and just a few years ago, had the Mountaineers playing in the College Cup. The men's soccer program did not have anywhere near the type of success they are experiencing with Stratford. He's built a consistent winner and will have WVU back in the Cup in no time.

Women's Soccer

The last handful of years haven't gone as well as Nikki Izzo-Brown would have liked, but she's had the Mountaineers consistently in the NCAA Tournament and 10 years ago had them playing for a national title. The recent commitment by WVU to increase scholarships for Olympic sports will help the program return to its winning ways. Izzo-Brown is one of the best coaches in the country. She's going to get the program back on track.