WVU’s Rich Rodriguez Predicts The 2026 Group Will Be ‘Fun To Watch’ –

Photo by Ben Powell
The West Virginia soccer staff prepares to expire onto Milan Puskar Stadium earlier than the Mountaineers’ recreation towards Colorado final season.

MORGANTOWN — For a fan, West Virginia soccer’s 2025 season wasn’t very enjoyable. The Ohio recreation wasn’t gratifying to look at, the UCF was brutal figuring out the circumstances, the begin to the Big 12 was tough, and it crescendoed to a 49-0 loss to Texas Tech to shut out the season.

Rich Rodriguez wasn’t having a lot enjoyable both, in his first 12 months again for the Mountaineers. There have been a number of press conferences the place he was visibly pissed off, probably the most notable after the Arizona State recreation the place virtually each reply tied again to the staff’s incapability to get a yard.

But it is a new 12 months and new season, and all of it begins on Saturday when WVU has its Week 1 recreation towards Coastal Carolina, which kicks off at midday.

There are predictions for the 2026 staff made by media retailers, sportsbooks or followers on the bar. Some say this staff will win the Big 12, or eight to 6 wins, or it will be just like final 12 months, ending 4-8.

Rodriguez’s prediction is in, however he isn’t valuing based mostly on wins or losses.

“I think that it’s going to be fun,” Rodriguez mentioned. “Still think I said this before. I didn’t make predictions, but I think it’s going to be a fun team to watch. I hope it’s fun in the right way.”

What does enjoyable imply precisely? Winning is enjoyable, and WVU did not do a lot of it final 12 months. But that is not what Rodriguez is speaking about straight.

He thinks the staff can be extra enjoyable as a result of there are thrilling gamers on offense, explosive gamers on protection and the staff is much more athletic.

On paper, he is most likely proper. Rodriguez had extra money to spend this offseason, and he wasn’t afraid to spend.

He introduced in thrilling gamers within the switch portal, together with final 12 months’s nation’s main rusher Cam Cook at operating again, former Oklahoma 4-star dual-threat quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and much more size and pace on protection.

Rodriguez introduced in enjoyable gamers for the longer term, too, signing an enormous freshman and JUCO class. He landed 4-star legacy offensive lineman Kevin Brown, who flipped from rival Penn State. 4-star operating again Amari Latimer modified from Wisconsin to WVU. Rodriguez even picked up a two-way participant, Matt Sieg, to attract curiosity on how he’ll be used. Almost each press convention, somebody asks about Sieg, and if he is enjoying offense together with security.

“I think our overall team speed is a little higher on both sides of the ball as well,” Rodriguez mentioned. “I think they’ll really play hard.”

He did not draw back from bringing pleasure to the staff when he launched the depth chart. Brown is beginning at left deal with as a real freshman, Sieg is listed as a punt and kick returner, and Latimer is the backup to Cook as properly.

From a roster standpoint, the staff needs to be extra enjoyable to look at.

Outside of the roster, Rodriguez is attempting to make the ambiance enjoyable as properly. He’s having the staff run out of the tunnel as a substitute of the burden room. Rodriguez desires the staff to appear to be gladiators, he mentioned on his radio present. WVU may have a tunnel cam, too, exhibiting the staff within the tunnel, which can be displayed on the jumbotron. The inflatable helmet will not return but, however there’ll nonetheless be the hearth.

The off-the-field spectacle and the numbers, stars and metrics sound enjoyable. But, that wears off as soon as the product on the sphere is showcased. If that doesn’t quantity to profitable and being aggressive, like final 12 months, it will not be very enjoyable.

“We’ll learn a lot in the first game, probably more than any game we play, simply because there’s so many new guys playing,” Rodriguez mentioned. “But I think they’ve earned the right to play a game and have some fun on Saturday… Saturday we wake up in a great atmosphere and have some fun.”