West Virginia Football 2026 Preview: Is Rich Rodriguez’s Rebuild Ready to Turn the Corner?

West Virginia enters Year 2 of the Rich Rodriguez rebuild with plenty of reasons to expect improvement, even if the finished product may still be another year away. Jacksonville State transfer Cam Cook gives the Mountaineers the kind of productive workhorse running back that fits exactly what RichRod wants to do, while Michael Hawkins and Scotty Fox give the offense mobile options at quarterback. The offensive line is deeper, the tight end room looks better, and after struggling to stay on schedule last season, West Virginia should have more ways to establish the running game and keep the offense moving.

The bigger challenge is a defense replacing 11 starters, including an almost entirely rebuilt secondary. Zac Alley has a major development job ahead of him, but there were encouraging signs late last season and Dan believes the Mountaineers could look noticeably more organized and comfortable in their second year in the system. Is that enough to get West Virginia back to a bowl game in 2026, or is this still one more developmental season before the RichRod rebuild truly takes off?

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