I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but West Virginia University is kind of a big deal.
No, we don’t have a room full of leather-bound books, and our office probably doesn’t smell of rich mahogany. But if Ron Burgundy happened to flip on ESPN over the past few weeks, he’d probably have to admit the Mountain State has been everywhere. Read more: For WVU, the moment is now.
If you’re under 30, you may have no idea what I’m talking about. If you’re around my age, you probably just smiled and finished the quote in your head.
Flying WV is everywhere
The baseball program didn’t just make its first trip to Omaha. It became America’s underdog. Millions watched as Mountaineer fans turned Charles Schwab Field into a sea of gold and blue. Then came the moment that seemed to capture everything that makes this place different. Thousands of people locked arms and sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as a national audience looked on.
If you didn’t get chills watching it, check your pulse.
Meanwhile, Pat McAfee continues waving the Flying WV flag before millions every week. Rich Rodriguez is back, injecting new energy into football. Steve Sabins has turned baseball into one of the best stories in college athletics. Mark Kellogg has women’s basketball rolling, and there’s renewed optimism surrounding men’s basketball.
Related: The traveling (good) PR department: Rich Rodriguez and Pat McAfee
For once, West Virginia isn’t chasing attention. It’s got it.
That escalated quickly
College athletics has changed dramatically. Recruiting isn’t just about facilities anymore. The transfer portal has created free agency. NIL has transformed roster building. Revenue sharing has changed the financial landscape. In today’s college sports world, attention isn’t just nice to have. It’s currency.
Maybe that’s why this moment feels so familiar. I’ve seen moments like this before.
I remember Major Harris putting West Virginia on the map. The Rodriguez years when WVU wasn’t just winning football games – it was changing the way college football was played. And who can forget the Final Four run in 2010, when it seemed like the entire country was talking about Bob Huggins and Da’Sean Butler.
Those were special eras. What’s exciting now is that the momentum isn’t confined to one season or one sport. It feels like it’s spreading across the entire athletic department.
Football has renewed hope. Baseball just introduced itself to America. Women’s basketball has become a national contender. Rifle keeps winning championships because that’s simply what rifle does. Across the athletic department, there is genuine momentum.
And history tells us moments like this don’t last unless you capitalize on them.
The baseball run shouldn’t end with commemorative T-shirts. It should lead to sold-out season tickets.
“Country Roads” shouldn’t just go viral every June. It should become one of the most powerful recruiting tools in college athletics.
Every recruit who visits Morgantown should experience what the rest of America just witnessed. Each transfer portal player should understand that this isn’t just another college town. All business in the state should see NIL as more than writing a check to an athlete. It’s an investment in the front porch of West Virginia.
We want you
This is a pivotal moment for WVU as it dives headfirst into the modern era of college athletics. There is a genuine opportunity to attract elite recruits and impact transfers. Many of today’s athletes want to compete at the highest level while making a meaningful impact. At WVU, they don’t have to share the spotlight with a roster full of five-star recruits.
This isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting point.
West Virginia has captured the nation’s attention. The next step is to make sure recruits, coaches and fans across the country begin to see WVU not simply as a great story – but as a destination.
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