Zac Alley Left Oklahoma Because He Believes West Virginia Is a 'Sleeping Giant'

One of the big moves West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez made this offseason was poaching defensive coordinator Zac Alley away from Oklahoma. It's not every day that you see an SEC coordinator leave a job to go outside of the league, but Rich Rod's relationship went a long way in getting the deal done.

During a recent guest appearance on 3 Guys Before the Game, Alley explained what went behind the decision to turn in his crimson and cream for the Old Gold and Blue.

“It was a really tough decision. But I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Rod, and I love him to death. I knew exactly how it was to be around him, work for him, have him be the head coach because I experienced it for two years in Jacksonville.

"And I believe that West Virginia is a sleeping giant in college football," he continued. "The support, the people - they love it and it matters. I just really felt like it had to be the right guy to come back and get the energy, get the people involved. We’ve got all the tools we need to be successful. Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but I felt that from his first press conference on that it was a special place and he was the right type of dude to come in here and change things.”

Alley is one of the most aggressive defensive play-callers in college football, making his style a perfect fit for the Mountaineers, who want to be equally aggressive on offense.

He's well ahead of the curve, too. In 2021, he became the youngest defensive coordinator in football when Terry Bowden awarded him the title at UL-Monroe at the age of 27. The time he spent under Brent Venables at Clemson (and Oklahoma) helped shape him into the coach he is today, and if he experiences success early in Morgantown, it won't be long before other programs around the country interview him for head coaching openings.

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