Rich Rodriguez Didn’t Sugarcoat West Virginia’s Transfer Portal Needs
West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has a unique way of telling reporters what he thinks of his team, which is no surprise to folks around here. He’s very direct. Most coaches don’t like to tip their hand and try to act as if things are better than they really are. Not Rich Rod.
On Thursday, he was asked about what positions he and his staff are likely to target in the upcoming transfer portal window, which opens on April 16th.
“We need to get some o-linemen and d-linemen. We need to get some wideouts, a running back. We probably need to get some linebackers, a corner, a safety, and a couple d-lineman. I made sure the kicker today – he had been pretty good, but today wasn’t the best day. So, probably need a kicker, maybe, to compete, too. I like where the quarterbacks are at. We got some competition there. The other ones, we’ll be in the portal.”
Is this an indictment on the players he inherited? What about the batch of transfers his staff brought in during the winter? Personally, I believe it’s more about depth on the defensive side of the ball, more than anything. Their front-end guys have a lot of experience, but the guys behind them don’t.
Offensively, they’re short on bodies at the skill positions and probably short on capable bodies along the offensive line. Jack Bicknell Jr. had to completely retool the offensive line, and that’s no easy task. I expect that will be the group that gets the most attention in the portal.
Don’t get too familiar with those on the roster now. They have to survive the 105-man roster cut, and several new faces will populate the locker room by the end of next month. This roster is far from being final.
