The excitement surrounding the start of WVU Football’s fall camp was evident Wednesday when WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker declared on MetroNews Talkline, “It’s the best time of the year.” It also means football is just one month away. The Mountaineers took the field for the first time as part of fall camp, and team leadership had plenty to say about the initial takeaways. Read more: Rodriguez outlines expectations as Mountaineers begin Year 2 of second stint.
“Discipline over motivation”
Despite West Virginia being picked near the bottom of the Big 12, Rodriguez said preseason expectations will not define the Mountaineers. Instead, he is preaching discipline over motivation.
In the first media availability of the preseason, head coach Rich Rodriguez was asked about where the team is this season compared to Year 1.
“Motivation is good for a little while,” Rodriguez said. “Discipline is there all the time. That’s what it takes to win.”
Related: One month out: WVU Football aims to take next step under Rodriguez
“We’ve got a lot of things that can motivate us, but we have to have the discipline to become the program we want to be. That’s a process, and these next two weeks are our opportunity to build that environment.”
Urgency is the biggest challenge
Rich Rodriguez believes the biggest challenge of modern fall camp is not talent, but time.
College football is evolving with roster movement, changing NCAA rules, and shortened preseason schedules. With the changes, Rodriguez said every practice carries added importance.
“There has to be a sense of urgency amongst the staff, amongst the players,” Rodriguez said. “It ain’t like you’ve got three weeks of two-a-days and you’ll get it sorted out.”
With limited practice time before the season, Rodriguez said mistakes have to be corrected immediately.
“If we did something wrong today, we’ve got to correct it tomorrow,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll make mistakes tomorrow, and we’ve got to correct that the next day.”
Day One leaves room for improvement
Despite calling the first practice “alright,” Rodriguez admitted it fell short of his expectations and said there will be plenty to correct in the film room.
“I thought we’d have a better practice today. I didn’t think it was great. I didn’t think it was awful.”
With temperatures in the mid-70s and low humidity, Rodriguez said the weather eliminated any excuses for players struggling through practice.
“It was 75 degrees, no humidity… I don’t expect us to have guys not be able to make it through a practice in this kind of weather.”
Rodriguez also admitted that he may have expected too much from the first day of camp, but said that is part of the standard.
“My expectation was for crisp execution on the very first day of practice, and my expectation was too high.”
A potential new-look backfield
Towards the end of Wednesday’s media availability, Rich Rodriguez was not ready to compare transfers Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook to the legendary Pat White-Steve Slaton duo, but he said he believes both players have the tools to lead West Virginia’s offense.
Rodriguez praised Hawkins’ speed, calling him “one of the fastest guys on the team,” while highlighting Cook’s instincts as the biggest strength of his game.
“The best thing about Cam is he has a great feel for the position, pass protection, running routes, where we’re supposed to press the hole.”
Although both players have college experience, Rodriguez said it is a bit different. This is because they have yet to take a snap in the old gold and blue.
“They have not played a game for West Virginia yet… They’ve got some experience at this level, but they haven’t played for West Virginia.”
Rich Rodriguez also compared Cook’s all-around skill set to former West Virginia running back Avon Cobourne rather than Steve Slaton.
“Cam reminds me a little more of Avon Cobourne… Avon was just a really good football player in all aspects.”
For Rodriguez, Day One was not about being perfect, it was about finding areas to improve. As the Mountaineers progress through fall camp, the focus remains simple. Build discipline, create urgency, and develop the identity that will define the 2026 season.
Related: Introducing The Mountaineer Tailgate pregame show, coming soon to JFMN
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