Sports

After 7 years of frustration, here's why WVU fans should believe again

West Virginia Mountaineers On SI · Jul 22, 2026 18:59 · 5 min read

Rich Rodriguez is Taking One Massive Gamble This Season — WVU Athletics Communications

Things are looking up for the Mountaineers. We detail everything that goes into that upward trajectory.

For the past seven years, West Virginia football has not been what we are all accustomed to seeing.

In that timeframe, the Mountaineers have posted a winning record just twice and have an overall record of 41-44 (.482).

It is the worst seven-year stretch in program history since the 1973-79 seasons, led by Bobby Bowden and Frank Cignetti, who combined for a 36-42 mark during that stretch. Cignetti was responsible for the majority of that, going just 17-27.

While it may seem like it’s all gloom and doom, especially in this new age of having to spend millions of dollars just to field a competitive roster, there are many reasons why there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for WVU.

Let's hit on the three big ones.

Strong alignment and commitment

Sep 13, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez celebrates with West Virginia University athletic director Wren Baker after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It doesn’t matter how much talent you acquire if you don’t have the resources in place to retain your best players and compete for top talent in the transfer portal, as well as the high school ranks.

New University President Michael T. Benson and Athletic Director Wren Baker have made their support for the program very clear and are doing everything they can to push this thing in the right direction.

Baker is actively searching for ways to generate more revenue, which will give Rich Rod and his staff more of a fighting chance as the years move along. In college football 1.0, you could probably get away with not having strong support from the administration, simply because it all came down to development and buy-in from the players.

Now, things have shifted to more of an NFL model, and as we see all the time in that league, if the owner, GM, and head coach aren’t on the same page, you aren’t going to have pleasant results. Benson, Baker, and Rodriguez all share the same vision and want to win now, while understanding the pool of resources has to continue to grow year-over-year.

Sure, West Virginia may not have a Rolodex of billionaires or millionaires that can just funnel funds to the program at the drop of a hat like some others around the country can. The one thing they do have working for them is the passion that the people of the state have for football, and they will do everything within their means to at least keep West Virginia in a competitive space, while also receiving contributions from the likes of Pat McAfee, Ken Kendrick, and a handful of others.

Once this thing begins to turn, there will be even a higher buy-in from the big-name donors and boosters.

A talented young nucleus is in place

Usually, a team gets a few sips of success before making a big splash and asserting itself as a perennial contender within their own league and, of course, nationally. So there’s no need to panic if West Virginia doesn’t reach 8+ wins this season; even in this era, it’s still a multi-year process.

In 2026, it’s all about setting the foundation and playing competitive football. You may counter by saying that’s what last year should have been about, but when you have to throw together a team and a coaching staff simultaneously, that becomes incredibly difficult, and it's why they brought in so many seniors as opposed to young talent. They had to bring in as much experience as possible and understood that they missed out on the initial wave of talent in the portal.

Defensively, it is still a major work in progress, but there are some intriguing young players on that side of the ball, such as safety Matt Sieg, defensive back Vincent Smith, linebacker Cam Torbor, and pass rusher Tobi Haastrup.

On the offensive side, the Mountaineers have a strong starting offensive line, all of whom have the ability to return in 2027 if they so choose. The run game is starting to get to where Rodriguez wants it, having a talented quartet of freshmen headlined by Amari Latimer, who will be the guy once Cam Cook, who also could return in 2027, departs.

Quarterback Mike Hawkins is the real deal, and the coaching staff believes that he will become one of the best talents in the conference in the near future. And he is not just a one-year Band-Aid either; he has three years of eligibility remaining.

Hawkins will have a number of talented pass catchers to get the ball to, and everyone aside from DJ Epps and Jaden Bray will be back after this season, assuming none of them hit the transfer portal.

It reminds me a lot of the 2017 season when Will Grier came in and did some good things, establishing some chemistry with David Sills V, Gary Jennings, and Marcus Simms, but only went on to win seven games.

Obviously, this is a completely different style of offense, and Hawkins is a different quarterback than Grier, but production-wise, I think we will see some similar results, not statistically speaking, that ultimately set up for a big year in 2027 when there is some continuity in place.

The schedule

A Way-Too-Early Breakdown of WVU Football's 2026 Opponents — West Virginia On S

West Virginia will be challenged in the second half of the year with a gauntlet of games in November against Texas, Tech, Kansas, Houston, and Utah. Before they enter that crucial four-game stretch, Rodriguez and his crew have a chance to rack up some wins by taking advantage of a favorable non-conference slate and then playing three of their first four league games at home, two of which are against first-year head coaches in Eric Morris at Oklahoma State and Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State.

But looking ahead, the Mountaineers will have all three of their non-conference games at home in 2027 and will not face a single Power Four opponent, taking on Southern Miss, VMI, and Ohio.

Not to mention, West Virginia will avoid Texas Tech and Utah completely, two teams that are going to consistently be at the top of the Big 12. The following year, they open up with Tennessee in Charlotte and then have home games against Youngstown State and Akron.

Each of these things plays a part in climbing out of this seven-year hole, and while I understand many of you need actual proof to start believing in something, I have a feeling you'll start to buy some stock in the future of the program by the end of September, if not sooner.