Asti: WVU’s Zac Alley Facing Pressure as 2025 is Pivotal Year for His Career

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The pressure on Rich Rodriguez to reestablish WVU as a national contender is immense, but he’s not the only coach under the gun in 2025. Zac Alley, who jumped from blue blood Oklahoma to become West Virginia’s defensive coordinator in late December, is also facing pressure of his own.

If Rodriguez, 61, can make his second tenure as WVU’s head coach anything close to as successful as his first one, he will most certainly end his career with a much better Mountaineer legacy and even have an overall career resume that will argue for the College Football Hall of Fame.

As for the much younger Alley who has many more years in front of him, the 2025 season can go one of two ways for him. And whichever way it goes will go along way in dictating what Alley’s future in coaching looks like.

“Zac is one of the top young defensive coordinators in the country and has proven his ability to lead and be an innovator at different stops during his career,” Rodriguez said at the time of his hire. “I have worked with him several seasons, and he constantly impresses me with his ability to blend schemes with his personnel and develop winning results. I look forward to him joining our staff and making an immediate impact for us.”

WVU HC Rich Rodriguez Calls Zac Alley ‘One of Top Young DCs in Country’

It’s not to say that if his defense doesn’t rank in the top 10 in the country he will be a cast off who can’t find work. That’s not the case. But a solid showing from a unit that struggled mightily in 2024, and has experienced a steady decline in production for several years, will mean Alley earned every penny of his salary and his additional title of assistant head coach.

It will likely lead Alley to becoming a coveted commodity and result in head coach opportunities. If West Virginia embarks on a magical ride to the College Football Playoff, or really even gains a consistent spot in the Associated Press’ Top 25 – WVU was never ranked in the AP Poll during the Neal Brown era, Alley’s value will likely skyrocket as one of the top assistants in the country.

At the very least, it will earn Alley a raise or continue the seemingly obvious succession plan in place at WVU.

However, if the defense stands out as a weakness, it will be Alley who has to wear that, fair or unfair. No matter who the coach is, the players have to perform.

“I talk about relentless all the time. That’s our mindset. We’re going to have a relentless way we play, how we prepare, how we out-work, how we out-execute, and affect the game on our side of the ball. Our relentless mindset in how we play is how we’re going to be and what we’re going to hang our hat on,” said Alley about what he expects out of his players.

“We’re going to have a relentless way we play, how we prepare, how we out-work, out-execute and affect the game on our side of the ball,” he added.

Zac Alley Opens Up About Decision to Leave Oklahoma for WVU, Talks ‘Relentless’ Style of Play

West Virginia’s former defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley could argue one example of a transfer like Garnett Hollis didn’t play up to the potential he displayed at Northwestern one year earlier. And while that’s true, the result is the secondary was awful and Lesley got fired. It may not have changed the overall season much, but a slightly better secondary holds on and beats Pitt.

But fair or not, when you’re a high-priced coordinator clearly being groomed as a future head coach, either at WVU or elsewhere, you’re expected to be a difference maker and to work your magic somehow.

Failing at WVU will also make people wonder about Alley in general. Alley’s first taste of Power Four football was guiding a Sooners’ defense that had moments, but was far from good enough. Questions about if Alley is more of just a Rodriguez disciple instead of a top defensive mind will undoubtedly run rampant.

If things go poorly and a roster full of new defensive players and coaches doesn’t show any signs of improving, Alley could find himself as the scapegoat.

For related content, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti and Cody Nespor discuss the pressure on Zac Alley while talking about the early days of WVU spring ball on a recent episode of Mountaineer Report.