WVU Football Head Coach Rich Rodriguez believes the state could play a bigger role in helping the Mountaineers navigate the changing financial landscape of college athletics.
One idea Rodriguez is exploring is a tourism tax that could benefit West Virginia’s NIL efforts. Read more: Rich Rodriguez has an idea to help West Virginia compete in NIL: A tourism tax.
Rodriguez discussed the idea during an exclusive interview with WV Sports Nation on Tuesday, pointing to the unique position West Virginia University holds within the state.
Related: Rodriguez: West Virginia Football “looks like we’re a little bit faster” in 2026
“We are the big show in town, you know, in the state of West Virginia,” Rodriguez said. “There’s no other Power Four team, no NFL team or any kind of pro organization.”
Rodriguez suggests tourism tax for WVU NIL
Rodriguez believes football’s ability to bring people into Morgantown on game weekends could create an opportunity to support the university’s athletic programs.
“When we have a home game, Morgantown becomes the biggest city in the state,” Rodriguez said.
That led Rodriguez to suggest a potential tourism-related tax that could benefit West Virginia’s NIL efforts.
“And tourism is the number one industry, one of the top industries in the state of West Virginia,” Rodriguez said. “So I’m trying to get a little, maybe a little tourism tax that benefits our NIL and get some help.”
The idea comes as West Virginia, like programs across the country, is actively dealing with the increased financial demands of college athletics.
Rodriguez wants the state involved
Rodriguez believes WVU has to find ways to generate enough revenue to remain competitive while also supporting its other athletic programs.
He pointed to West Virginia’s size and lack of major corporations compared to larger states as part of the challenge.
“Being a smaller state, you know, without a lot of large major companies, Fortune 500 companies, whatever, you know, we can still get enough to compete, but it takes more people involved and it takes the entire state involved,” Rodriguez said.
For Rodriguez, that means the university cannot be the only entity responsible for finding solutions.
Rodriguez also emphasized that the financial challenge extends beyond football.
“You want to be able to fund all your sports so they can compete,” Rodriguez said.
“If we want to win, we got to have money”
Rodriguez was blunt about what he believes is required to compete in the current college football landscape.
“I’m not afraid to ask, because if we want to win, we got to have money and we got to have NIL funds,” Rodriguez said.
He added that the response from state leaders has been encouraging.
“Everybody’s been really responsive so far,” Rodriguez said. “So I want to thank them and I’m blessed that we have their kind of attention that way.”
For now, Rodriguez’s tourism-tax idea remains just that — an idea he is trying to explore as West Virginia looks for additional ways to compete financially.
There is no indication from the interview that a tourism tax has been formally proposed by West Virginia University or state lawmakers.
“If West Virginia football is doing well, everybody’s doing well”
Rodriguez’s idea is rooted in his belief that football’s success benefits more than just the university.
During the interview, the discussion turned to the economic activity surrounding home football games. Plus, in turn, whether some of that benefit could eventually find its way back to the university.
Rodriguez believes the two are connected.
“If West Virginia football is doing well, everybody’s doing well,” Rodriguez said. “And it’s always been that way. And so hopefully, you know, we can do our part to make it happen.”
For now, Rodriguez is simply putting the idea on the table.
But as West Virginia adjusts to the financial realities of modern college athletics, Rodriguez believes keeping the Mountaineers competitive will require more than just the university and its supporters.
He wants the entire state involved.
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He’s just begging for people to hate him again. Yeah, I want an addition tax added to my campsite so we can pay players over a broken system. No thank you.