The Smoking Musket

Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images Good afternoon! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images for ONIT West Virginia’s coaching staff evaluated more than 4,000 players this spring as Rich Rod leans on his eye for talent and the underdog mentality that built Mountaineer legends. During an appearance on the latest 3 Guys Before The Game, WVU Senior Offensive Assistant Travis Trickett shared an eye-opening… ... Continue Reading

Did you go into withdrawals during the 2 weeks between reports of roster additions? What do ratings in one computer say about Ross Hodge’s 1st recruiting class and the last coach’s recruiting class? What do you make of an NBA team missing 75 3-pointers in 2 playoff games? Listen to this episode and more on… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something… ... Continue Reading

Rodriguez opened up about the challenges of rebuilding WVU’s football program, including navigating the transfer portal, adjusting to the new realities of college football, and creating a winning culture.

On this week’s College GameDay podcast, Rich Rodriguez spoke at length about what it means to return to West Virginia as head coach nearly two decades after his first stint ended. While the surroundings may be familiar, he was quick to stress that the man on the sideline is not the same.

“I’m not the same coach I was back then,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t have 28 years of head coaching experience repeated one time. I’ve 28 years. I think we’ve gotten better every year or at least we’ve tried to anyway.”

Rodriguez discussed how the game — and the job — have changed dramatically in recent years. Between NIL, the transfer portal, and an ever-shifting conference landscape, building a roster in 2025 is a different challenge than it was in 2005. But Rodriguez says he’s embraced that reality rather than fighting it.

“We’re going to be okay in the revshare world. We’re not going to have all the money someone else does, but we can still have the best culture,” he said. “You have to be open and honest with your players.”

That culture will start with an almost entirely new team. According to Rodriguez, only two returning players have started a game, and he estimates 70 to 75 new faces will be on the roster by fall camp. But Rodriguez built his name by doing more with less, and that was on full display at Jacksonville State, where he took over a roster with more than 60 new players and led the Gamecocks to eight straight wins and a conference championship. “It took us a couple games,” he said, “we weren’t very good and then we won eight in a row and won the league.”

“The first goal is to win the league,” he said. “If we’re not in contention in November, it’s not a good year.”

Rodriguez knows the expectations. Now, he gets the chance to meet them — again.

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Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure… ... Continue Reading

The Mountaineers will honor the 60th anniversary of the classic Old Gold and Blue look with retro uniforms, though the game date for their debut has yet to be announced. West Virginia football is reaching back into its history with the debut of a 1965 throwback uniform for the 2025 season. Old gold.Light blue.Brought .#HailWV… ... Continue Reading

Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed,… ... Continue Reading

Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Patrick Mulligan/Getty Images Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images for ONIT Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed,… ... Continue Reading

Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in… ... Continue Reading

Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in… ... Continue Reading

Who has committed to WVU in the last week? How do you feel about the possibility of zero returning players from last season? What is the minimum amount of retention needed to have a successful program in the transfer portal era? Let’s talk about about Ross Hodge starting from scratch. Listen to this episode and… ... Continue Reading

Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s something we missed, be sure to talk about it in… ... Continue Reading

West Virginia extends its winning streak to 14 games and vaults seven spots in the D1Baseball Top 25 as the top of the rankings shuffle. Following a weekend sweep of Cincinnati, the Mountaineers jumped seven spots to No. 17 in the latest D1Baseball Top 25 rankings. West Virginia (34-4, 13-3 Big 12) extended its winning… ... Continue Reading

Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images Good morning! This is the Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup. Welcome to The Shotgun/Throwdown, your daily West Virginia sports roundup (that we didn’t already talk about in another article) with some sophomoric humor and daily distractions thrown in for good measure. And if there’s… ... Continue Reading

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images for ONIT Joel and Jordan are back with a little bit of everything: Spring ball talk, a summary of the end of the college basketball season, WVU Baseball, the Masters, NBA Playoffs, and more. Listen to this episode and more on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and all major platforms.… ... Continue Reading