MAILBAG: Wren Baker, Jake Retzlaff Rumors, Rich Rod/Narduzzi, Alley's Scheme + More

Good Monday morning, Mountaineer fans! It's time to crack open this week's West Virginia On SI mailbag.

From @CkNiTisLeGiT:

Q: What’s your thoughts on the roster Coach Hodge has put together & continues to build?

A: I like it, not in love with it, if I'm being honest. I think there are some holes in this roster, particularly in the frontcourt. Harlan Obioha will get most of the minutes at center, but I'm concerned about the plan after him. Is Abraham Oyeadier ready to contribute? Do they play small ball? I'm not really sure. I do believe Amir Jenkins will be a really good player, but can he handle the backup point guard duties as a reclassified true freshman? It's still a group that can make the NCAA Tournament, though.

From @isaiahbelcher95:

Q: Due to the Oklahoma/Wren talks (which I don't believe is going to amount to anything), how much of Wren's appeal to bigger schools in the future will hinge upon how RR does with the football program?

A: Great question. As far as the Oklahoma thing goes, I don't believe there is anything to it. At least as of this morning, I haven't heard anything between the two. Winning makes everyone look better, including the AD. If Rich Rod turns the football program around and Ross Hodge gets the basketball team back to the dance consistently, then yeah, he'll have a flashier profile. That doesn't mean he'll leave, though.

From @Huddleston1138:

Q: Are people assuming this year will be a bust just because 2001 was a bust? The scenarios are so different: Then, RR had Nehlen’s players that didn’t fit the scheme, vs now, when everyone runs some spread, and these are mostly RR’s guys.

A: I think the reasoning for that thinking is because of how much newness there is. Sure, TCU went all the way to the national title game with Sonny Dykes in year one and a bunch of transfers, but there are fewer examples of that and more of teams struggling in year one. You are correct in that this roster will fit his style better; however, they don't know how talented they are at each spot. They can fill roster spots with the bodies they want, but projecting how they'll play at this level, or in this scheme, or even together is impossible.

From @JordanWVU07:

Q: Any chance Jake Retzlaff lands at WVU? Seems to be some rumors of us being a landing spot.

A: Yeah, I don't know where that's coming from. That's not happening. Rich Rod is satisfied with the current group of QBs he has, and adding one more into the mix doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Retzlaff would be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Not a fit, and just nonsense from folks trying to either throw stuff at the wall or drive engagement.

From @CountryRoads2:

Q: What 2 position groups will be most crucial for any B12 team to win the league this year, and what are those positions looking like for WVU?

A: Well, I hate to go with the obvious, but quarterback play for sure. There are so many talented quarterbacks in the league this year that you could name six guys as the top signal caller, and I wouldn't have an argument against it. Nicco Marchiol/Jaylen Henderson may have a strong season for WVU, but if we're being completely honest, neither is worthy of being in that conversation among the top QBs - at least not heading into the season.

The second-most crucial, in my opinion, is the offensive line. If you don't have time to operate in the pass game or open up paths in the ground game, well, you're not going to win many games or even compete. It's nice to have an elite running back, but if you can't create running lanes for him, it doesn't matter. On paper, WVU's o-line is not in a great spot because of how many guys they have to replace. There is talent in the room, so it's going to come down to how fast they can gel together. I could see them being a pleasant surprise.

From @baNarDeaux4real:

Q: Are Rich Rod and Narduzzi even going to shake hands when we play Pitt, and who do you think would win in a cage match??

A: Lol, some of these questions truly make me laugh. I love it. Yes, I'm sure they'll shake hands. The two know each other pretty well, and although they can't stand each other's school, they have respect for the rivalry. They'll have a mini midfield convo before going back to their respective side and shift to hating each other the rest of the night.

From @wi_thompson:

Q: Defense wins championships, and the NB staff was awful on that side of the ball. What are the expectations/schemes of a Zac Ally defense?

A: They are going to be aggressive and opportunistic. This can be a good and bad thing at the same time. When you have so many new faces, it could lead to miscommunication and busted coverage in the back end more often than one would like. Alley will be aggressive in nature, but he'll probably dial down the blitzing until the end of September when guys get familiar with one another. There'll be multiple, as just about every defense is nowadays, but a lot of three-man looks with blitzing coming from the second and third levels, a lot of sim pressures, and will have a good deal of movement just before the snap to change the picture for the QB.

From @wvuremfan:

Q: Can you explain how the Big 12 on TNT/TBS is going to work starting this season?

A: From my understanding, it'll be TNT and HBO Max. I'm not sure how the setup will be for the two networks, but I do know that it will remove 13 games from the ESPN package that the Big 12 has. The game will be on both, so if West Virginia's game with, say, Colorado is a TNT/Max game, you won't have to get a subscription to Max as long as your provider has TNT. I hope I answered that for you.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: Have you heard any new news on potential targets for the basketball team? I think we only need one more to finish it, but it seems as if that might take forever

A: The only one I've heard about recently is Croatian guard Luka Skoric, whom I wrote about yesterday. Beyond him, it's pretty quiet. At this point, they're looking for overseas guys who are looking to come over or players who may want to reclassify, i.e., Amir Jenkins.

To participate in next week's mailbag, send me a DM on X (@Callihan_) reply to my tweet asking for submissions on Saturday, or place your question in the comments section under my post on Facebook.