Quick Hits: Spring Break Eval, Two-Way Players, Player Retention + More

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez gives an update on the Mountaineer football program

Christopher Hall | Mar 25, 2025

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez / Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

The West Virginia University football program held its 10th spring practice Tuesday morning.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez met with the media following the morning practice session and discussed the final two weeks of the spring practice period.

Evaluations over spring break

I did more evaluation of our recruit list. I had 110, something like that, 110 guys that I hadn’t evaluated their tape ’26 guys (high school recruits). And so, I got all that done.

A little bit of evaluation of our current players.

We’re kind of structuring practice – each of our last few practices to have a little bit more competitive situations to kind of see what some of the guys can do.

Its not going to be fun to have reduce the roster down because of the squad size. I still think the NCAA should allow us the grandfather clause or whatever. We shouldn’t have to cut guys that you don’t want to cut to make the 105. I think if they’re already here, they should stay here and have a bigger roster size.

Players playing both ways

If you’re going to have 85 on scholarship and 20 more, how many, 16, 17, 18 offensive linemen. How many quarterbacks? How many running backs? 105 seems like a lot but when you go practice and whatever, you still may need to have a few guys go both ways. I think you’ll see a little bit more of that.

I know that Travis Hunter did it at Colorado and he’s a freak athlete, but I mean, there are guys that probably on our team now or guys we will recruit that can play maybe defensive end and tight end or linebacker and tight end or maybe play wideout and safety or something. That’s part of our evaluation in the class of ’26 guys for sure.

Player retention

I think most of us are in favor that’s proposed have a single portal period instead of these two because at least you have an idea of what your roster has and who you have. Now, we can complain all we want its kind of a cluster, but I hope we don’t lose too many – the guys you want to have. I think every team is probably going to lose some. I hope we don’t lose any. They don’t act like they are half in half out, which to our guy’s credit, they have been really engaged.

Like everybody else in July, when the rev[enue] share thing happens, we’re going to be right in the middle of that too. So, the guys that will play and earn success and do well, are going to be in a pretty good spot, probably a better spot than they’ve ever been, but that’s the case across the country.

Characteristics to make the 105 roster

Do you know who I trend to want to have? Dudes that help us win. Every decision we make is, does it help us win? Some of that doesn’t help us win is attitude, commitment, those are all part of that. So, it’s just no talent. I think durability, toughness, those are talents too. I think sometimes people just look at how fast he can run or how high he can jump or how far he can throw it. Sometimes there are guys with functional intelligence, his football IQ, those are all abilities as well. So, all those go into factor.

Talking to NFL general managers and head coaches about managing a roster

I have over the last year talked to friends of mine in the NFL – talked to some GMs and I talked to some coaches and some NFL GMs after I took this job as well because everything is kind of evolving, and so they’ve been doing it a long time.

Its not like this brand new, it’s been going on for the last few years. What’s different is now is the different scope from going from group of five to Power Four and its ever changing.