WVU has parted ways with offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr., who spent one season with the Mountaineers. A familiar face is returning to the sidelines for WVU, as Rick Trickett returns for his third stint with WVU. He has spent the past four seasons at Jacksonville State, three of which were alongside Rich Rodriguez. He was also Rodriguez’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach at WVU from 2001 to 2006. The hire brings a load of experience to the program and gives hope to a position group that struggled last season. Read more: Rick Trickett returns to WVU as offensive line coach.
Rick Trickett returns to WVU as offensive line coach
Trickett has coached for 52 years and is an accomplished offensive line coach. His first stint with WVU was from 1976 to 1979, during which he coached the defensive line for two years before becoming the offensive line coach under Frank Cignetti Sr.
“Rick and I have been in the trenches together for many years, and he knows our offense very well and what we need to do to be successful,” Rodriguez said of Trickett. “The experience he brings to our program will be invaluable, and I know that returning to his home state and WVU was an important factor for him.”
There was an assumption that Trickett might join the WVU staff last season, but he stayed at Jacksonville State for one more year. His son and former WVU quarterback, Clint Trickett, served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Jacksonville State in 2025, which played a factor in Rick Trickett staying one more season. Clint was recently hired as the quarterbacks coach at Arkansas, so Rick took the opportunity to return home.
Trickett’s return home
Rick Trickett was born in Masontown, WV, and played football at Glenville State. His first coaching job was at Glenville State before he went to Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). He then found himself on the coaching staff at WVU for the first time. His second time on the staff at WVU was from 2001 to 2006.
Related: WVU Mountaineers at Kansas Jayhawks Preview – Jan. 1, 2026
The Mountaineers finished among the top 15 rushing offenses from 2002 to 2006, and were in the top five three times. In his final season with WVU in 2006, the team was second in the nation in rushing, third in scoring, and fifth in total offense. Rick then spent 2007 to 2017 at Florida State, where he was the offensive line coach and assistant head coach. He helped Florida State win a National Championship, and his offensive lines paved the way for multiple prolific offenses. They went undefeated (14-0) and set school and ACC records for single-season total offense, yards per play, and points per game.
His experience is nothing short of extraordinary, and he should help this coaching staff find its footing after a tough season. Rich Rodriguez went 4-8 in his first season back in Morgantown, and his team featured a roster full of transfers. There is at least some hope for the future as Rodriguez and his staff start to bring in their recruits and play the type of football they want.
