It’s no secret to anyone who follows WVU Football beyond the surface level; head coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t going to give out information he doesn’t want to. And much like last year, good luck figuring out who the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers will be until the fleeting moments before kickoff. Read more: You may want an immediate answer at quarterback, but Rodriguez isn’t showing you his hand.Â
Some people like it, some people hate it. Certain coaches just don’t reveal certain information if they don’t want to. It can drive members of the media (us included, sometimes) insane.
An expected response
But when asked by member(s) of the press Friday for a hint at where the quarterback battle is heading as the season draws closer by the day, Rodriguez kept his impenetrable wall of security around his plan.
“I don’t need to tell anybody,” Rodriguez said. “In fact, I think it’s kind of intriguing. If you want to find out who is going to start, buy a ticket and come to great Mountaineer Field.”
He wasn’t done, either, as we pick up later in his monologue:
I’m going to know before then [kickoff],” Rodriguez said. “I may know before I tell the coaches. I may know right now, probably do.”
Rodriguez ended his spill by telling us what we already know — nothing.
I like you guys [media],” Rodriguez said. “I really do, but I ain’t giving you the scoop, so you’ve got to keep coming back. Come back to the next media opportunity, and you still won’t know.”
We’ve seen this before, so it doesn’t come as the biggest surprise.
All we’ve got is speculation
As Editor-in-Chief, I’m not sure I can count on just one hand the number of QB battle and QB battle-adjacent pieces we’ve pumped out. To be frank, though, it’s an intriguing topic.
Rodriguez is right. It makes for good conversation and more importantly, to me, I believe it keeps that first opponent guessing.
New: Tale of the Tape 2.0 – Kansas
The veteran head coach has been around long enough to know the ways of the media, what he likes to share, and what he doesn’t. It’s a little too late for change in that department.
I can’t even blame him for sticking to his principle. You could sit in a room with him right now, ask 100 times, and still not get an answer. I’m not quite sure it’ll take until kickoff to get an official answer, but to try and get an answer out of him at this point is like finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, there may not even be a needle in that haystack.
Turn back the clocks
Around this time just a year ago, the Mountaineers sat in a similar seat. No pinned-down, guaranteed starter, and a world of speculation. Sure enough, WVU used two or more quarterbacks in each of its first seven games. Even still, it didn’t feel like WVU had a true starting quarterback until that narrow loss on Homecoming night to TCU.
Related: WVU Football awaits clarity on Chambers, Barrick added to staff
The options are better this year, with Michael Hawkins Jr. transferring in and a more experienced version of Scotty Fox Jr., so that should drive the narrative. Instead of scrambling to name a QB because of unease at the position, I’d argue this year’s battle is due to both starting options being viable.
All will unfold in due time
Some programs have a starter named months in advance, though it’s a dwindling number in the NIL age.
Media, fans, and others may not like it, but this is the reality. We’ll know when the toe meets the ball on the tee at 12 p.m. on September 5. Anything discovered before 11:59:59 a.m. that day is a luxury in the world of Rich Rodriguez.
Related: Introducing The Mountaineer Tailgate pregame show, coming soon to JFMN
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