Blain: WVU Football Fans Should Be Wary of Living in the Past

Earlier this week, WVU Football announced it was bringing back the glossy blue helmets ahead of the 2025 season. Many fans expressed excitement for the return of the niche uniform detail. While I think it looks great, it made me realize how much this offseason has been dedicated to “bringing back” something. 

On top of the glossy helmets, WVU will wear throwback uniforms last worn in 1965, former stars Pat White and Noel Devine were added to the coaching staff as assistant coaches and Rich Rodriguez is back at the helm of the program.

What Went Into Making the 1965 Throwback WVU Football Uniform?

I’m not saying White, Devine or Rodriguez are unworthy of their positions or that they earned their roles strictly for nostalgia purposes. Even so, it’s near impossible to look at this team and not think of the past. 

I don’t blame this mindset from a marketing perspective. After the past six years, arguably the darkest period since the late 1970s, fans want a return to success, and these odes to the past remind them of happier times of being a WVU fan.

However, living in the past can be a dangerous thing, especially when it comes to setting expectations for the upcoming season.

The team has lost a substantial amount of its roster to the transfer portal, with more than 30 players declaring for it on the first day of the spring portal window, granted most of them were cut right after the spring practice period. While Rodriguez and his staff have worked to fill the holes left behind, it has been largely with players from the Group of 5 and FCS levels. Meanwhile, several of the players who departed are now in other Power 4 conferences. 

There is enough talent on this roster to win games, especially in the Big 12, easily the most wide open conference in college football. But the staff also failed to add a splash transfer portal signing. A lot will depend on how well Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Zach Alley put the players in positions to win, as is the case for any football team.

When it comes to Rodriguez’s coaching methods, CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah raised concerns about it working in today’s landscape in article on May 8. He then projected two possible scenarios in a more recent story, both leading to WVU failing to contend.

National Analyst Offers Best, Worst Case for WVU Football in 2025

In an age where players get paid and have the autonomy to leave for another school after every season, will a hard-nosed and old school approach still hold up? That has yet to be seen. 

WVU has improved in some ways from last season and regressed in others, in my opinion. While it may be exciting to see familiar faces and nods to past Mountaineer squads, fans should be hesitant to expect next season to be a drastic improvement from 2024 despite the excitement from the nostalgic atmosphere taking over the state. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting good football back in Morgantown. However, I tend to agree with the Indian poet Gulzar, who preaches, “Nostalgia is not a place to live.”

For related content, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti and Luke Blain discuss WVU’s return to the glossy helmets and the expectations for the football season on Mountaineer Report.