Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia look for turnaround after a 4-8 season and roster exodus

2025 record: 4-8

West Virginia underwent wholesale lineup changes under second-year coach Rich Rodriguez as the Mountaineers chase an elusive Big 12 championship.

Injuries took a heavy toll in the first year of Rodriguez’s second stint with the team. The Mountaineers were among the lowest-scoring teams in the Big 12 despite being among the nation’s fastest-tempo offenses.

During the offseason West Virginia lost nearly three-fourths of its roster, including more than 50 who entered the transfer portal. The portal also brought in some potential standouts, especially on offense.

“We looked more for production as opposed to potential, guys that have been very productive, whether it’s at a Group of Five school or what have you, that started and played in college games and wanted to try to play at the highest level,” Rodriguez said.

West Virginia has yet to win a Big 12 championship since entering the league in 2012. Its last 10-win season was a decade ago and there's little reason to doubt that trend will end. The Mountaineers haven’t been ranked in the AP Top 25 since 2018, the longest drought among Big 12 schools and one of the longest in the Power Four.

Rodriguez hopes to get a big improvement out of a lackluster spread-option offense with the addition of quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and running back Cam Cook, the nation's top rusher last season with 1,659 yards at Jacksonville State. Cook was selected to The Associated Press all-America third team.

Opening holes for them should be an offensive line that added a half dozen transfers along with Kevin Brown, a 6-foot-6 freshman who is expected to start at left tackle. Rodriguez admits that last year's unit lacked size.

Rodriguez has reunited with veteran offensive line coach Rick Trickett. The pair worked together at West Virginia from 2001 to 2006 before Trickett spent the next decade at Florida State.

West Virginia lost its top seven receivers from a year ago when the Mountaineers caught just 10 TD passes and only one player had more than 400 receiving yards. Jaden Bray is being counted on to be the centerpiece of this year's unit, but he'll have to stay healthy. Bray sustained season-ending foot injuries in each of the last two years in which he played a total of seven games.

Rodriguez also has spoken highly of 6-foot-5 Prince Strachan, who was limited by an ankle injury last season and played in just one game at Southern California.

West Virginia had five blowout losses, including a 49-0 setback to Texas Tech to end the season. The defense allowed a Big 12-worst 28 TD passes and 265 passing yards per game, eighth-worst in the nation. The defense returns just one of its top 10 tacklers and no one who started more than one game for the Mountaineers last season.

QB Michael Hawkins Jr. (transfer from Oklahoma), RB Cam Cook (transfer from Jacksonville State), WR DJ Epps (transfer from Troy), DB Andrew Powdrell (transfer from UNLV), DE Harper Holloman (transfer from Western Kentucky).

RB Jahiem White (transferred to North Texas), QB Nicco Marchiol (transferred to Northwestern), DB Fred Perry (graduated), LB Reid Carrico (graduated), RB Diore Hubbard (transferred to Wyoming).

Vs. Arizona (Oct. 10), at Texas Tech (Nov. 7), at Utah (Nov. 27).

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FILE - Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook (4) beats the grab attempt by Sam Houston defensive back Jaidan Scott, right, during an NCAA football game, Oct. 9, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)

FILE - West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez shouts to his players during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona State, Nov. 15, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

HOUSTON (AP) — 2025 record: 10-3

The Cougars should be one of the top teams in the Big 12 a year after making a six-game improvement to win 10 games in coach Willie Fritz’s second season.

“We’ve got to build off it and not live off it,” quarterback Conner Weigman said. “Some people are like: ‘We won 10 games last year. That’s going to happen this year.’ No, we’re going into Week 1 0-0. We’ve go to go and play an even better brand of football than we did last year, but we’re in a good spot right now.”

Houston returns 12 starters, led by Weigman. He threw for a career-high 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns and added 700 yards rushing and 11 scores in his first season at Houston in 2025 after transferring from Texas A&M.

Weigman will be protected by an experienced offensive line and the offense should get a boost with the addition of running back Makhi Hughes. He spent last season at Oregon, where he got limited playing time after running for 2,779 yards in two seasons at Tulane.

Weigman will remain the starter despite the addition of five-star recruit Keisean Henderson. The dual-threat QB was ranked by some publications as the top recruit in the country after throwing for 6,415 yards and 76 touchdowns and running for 661 yards and 14 scores in four high school seasons. Fritz could figure out creative ways to get the athletic freshman on the field.

Weigman and Henderson make the team’s quarterbacks the undisputed strength of the team.

The transfer of Hughes reunited him with Fritz, after he played for him at Tulane in 2023 when he ran for 1,378 yards. Second on Houston’s depth chart at running back is Re’Shaun Sanford II, who had 444 yards rushing in 2024 but missed all last season recovering from an ACL injury. The Cougars also added freshman and Houston product John Hebert, who piled up a whopping 7,210 yards rushing with 80 touchdowns combined in his last two high school seasons.

Houston lost top pass rusher Eddie Walls III, after he had seven sacks and 11 ½ tackles for loss last season. Also gone is defensive tackle Carlos Allen Jr., who led the team with 80 tackles, including 7 ½ for loss. They’ll look to linebacker Brandon Mack II to step up to make up for the absence of Walls after he had five sacks and forced two fumbles in 2025. They also added Oklahoma State transfer De’Marion Thomas to help the interior defensive line.

QB Keisean Henderson (freshman), RB Makhi Hughes (transfer from Oregon), WR Trent Walker (transfer from Oregon State), LB Jaden Yates (transfer from Ole Miss), DL Ashton Porter (transfer from Oregon).

RB Dean Conners (NFL), DL Carlos Allen Jr. (NFL), CB Latrell McCutchin (NFL), S Zelmar Vedder (NFL), DL Eddie Walls III (NFL).

At No. 12 Texas Tech (Sept. 18), at Kansas State (Oct. 10), at No. 21 Utah (Oct. 24).

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FILE - Houston head coach Willie Fritz on the sideline against LSU during the first half of the Kinder's Texas Bowl NCAA football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren,File)

FILE - Houston quarterback Conner Weigman (1) runs the ball against LSU during the second half of the Kinder's Texas Bowl NCAA football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren,File)