How Rich Rodriguez Believes WVU Fans Can Help Seal the Deal with Top Recruiting Targets

The overall mood around West Virginia football has changed in recent weeks, with the Mountaineers finding an answer at quarterback, knocking off a top-25 team on the road, and having won two of its last three games.

Outside the lines, WVU has made a ton of progress on the recruiting trail and is in play for some top-tier recruits, some of whom are committed to other schools such as Penn State, Arkansas, and a few others.

Last weekend, the staff had a bunch of visitors on hand for the Colorado game, and beyond winning the game, the atmosphere that the crowd created made a huge impact on the interest of those recruits.

"It makes an impact in their decision. I really believe that," Rodriguez said.

WVU will host recruits each of the next two weeks despite being on the road and having a bye week, but they are gearing up for another big recruiting weekend to end the regular season when they face Texas Tech on November 29th.

Students will be on break, it's hunting season, and two days after Thanksgiving, which means it's the perfect recipe for a light crowd. Add on the fact that WVU won't be playing for anything of significance, other than possibly bowl eligibility. Still, it's going to be an opportunity to knock off a top 25 team at home and impress a number of recruits just days before the early signing period begins.

Although he didn't directly send a message to WVU fans, Rodriguez stated how important it is that Mountaineer Field has a strong crowd for the season finale against Texas Tech.

"Every game we have at home, we have recruits there. Every game. Official visits or unofficial visits, they soak in everything. From the positivity in the stands to the tailgating to the cheering, to making noise, creating an environment. We want them to come to the games because we think we have a great atmosphere. It's amazing how guys that are here for the first time they're like, 'I never thought it'd be like this.' We tell them, listen, we have great fans. Wait until you see this and experience it, and a lot of them are surprised. We have the fanbase in our league, so it's important that we show up and that the recruits see how important football is here."

WVU is unique in that most fanbases stop showing up when things go bad. They had 54k in attendance for the TCU game with a 2-5 record and 55k for the Colorado game with a 3-6 record. Heck, there are some teams that have just one or two losses and can't fill up half the stadium. Showing up matters. It shows a fanbase cares and to recruits, that's something that can put a school over the top.

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