Report: WVU Football Hiring Successful Veteran Coach to Replace Chad Scott

A week after Rich Rodriguez tried to calm the nerves of WVU fans by saying he would hire a “a really good coach” to be his running backs coach, it appears West Virginia is doing just that.

According to a report by Football Scoop on Sunday night, the Mountaineers have found their “really good coach” in veteran Larry Porter.

Porter replaces Chad Scott, who took the same job with Texas and left WVU after six years despite initially being retained by Rodriguez.

Porter, who most recently served as running backs coach and special teams coordinator under Mack Brown at North Carolina, has a long track record of success behind him.

A former running back himself from his playing days at Memphis, Porter embarked on his long coaching career in 1998 and has since experienced stops at Arkansas, Oklahoma State, LSU – where he was part of the Tigers’ 2007 national championship staff, back to Memphis, Arizona State, Texas, multiple stints at North Carolina and Auburn.

Below includes more background information about Porter from North Carolina’s team site: 

Larry Porter, a 28-year coaching veteran and two-time national recruiter of the year, was hired to coach running backs at UNC by Mack Brown on Jan. 29, 2021.

Aside from being a top recruiter, Porter is a three-time Broyles Award nominee, has developed numerous NFL prospects both at his position and through his work on special teams, and has been part of 20 bowl teams since 2002. He returned to Carolina after a four-year stint at Auburn, where he coached tight ends and H-backs and served as the special teams coordinator for the previous three seasons.

In year three under Porter at UNC, the Tar Heels’ running game shown bright behind star pupil Omarion Hampton. Hampton rushed for 1,504 yards and 15 TDs on the season, while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. His 1,504 yards ranked fifth nationally and second on UNC’s single-season list, while his 15 TDs tied for 11th nationally and were sixth on UNC’s single-season chart. Hampton was eventually named a Doak Walker Award finalist and a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

On special teams, Noah Burnette claimed second-team All-ACC honors after making 19-of-20 field goals, including 6-of-6 from 40 yards or more. The punt return unit excelled for the Heels, averaging 12.7 yards per return, which was good for 13th nationally and first in the ACC. Alijah Huzzie, the team’s primary returner prior to a season-ending injury, averaged 16 yards per return including a 52-yard TD return versus Pitt.

Porter’s running back room was ravaged by injury during a 2022 season that saw four different backs earn a start, which doesn’t take into account presumed starter British Brooks, who missed the entire season after picking up an injury in fall camp. As a team, the Heels rushed for 153.5 yards per game, which ranked sixth in the ACC. Elijah Green started the final six games of the season and rushed for 558 yards and eight TDs. True freshman Omarion Hampton added 401 yards and six TDs, while Caleb Hood, D.J. Jones and George Pettaway combined to contribute 467 yards and three TDs.

The Heels saw marked improvements on special teams during 2022. Punter Ben Kiernan finished the year averaging 46.8 yards per punt, which would have ranked fourth nationally and first in the ACC had he qualified on attempts. He also ranked sixth nationally in net punting en route to third-team All-ACC honors. The return teams excelled as well, finishing 13th nationally and second in the ACC in punt return average (13.3 ypr) and ninth nationally and fourth in the league in kickoff return average (23.7 ypr). Overall, Carolina improved 63 spots to No. 20 in ESPN’s Special Teams Efficiency rankings.

During his first season back at Carolina, Porter led a running back room that helped the Tar Heels lead the ACC in rushing yards. Ty Chandler was the team’s leading rusher in his lone year in Chapel Hill, finishing the season with 1,092 rushing yards and 13 TDs on 182 carries (6.0 ypc). He also caught 15 passes for 216 yards and a TD. An All-ACC second teamer, Chandler produced the third-most rushing yards in the ACC and the most rushing TDs by a running back in the league. British Brooks came on strong towards the end of the year, tallying 285 yards and three TDs over the final three games of the season.

A Broyles Award nominee in 2020 at Auburn, Porter’s special teams units were led by Groza Award semifinalist Anders Carlson, who went 20-of-22 on the season, and Tank Bigsby, who led the SEC in kickoff returns with a 23.5 yards-per-return average. Meanwhile, his collection of tight ends increased their production from previous seasons combining for 20 receptions.

Porter mentored Christian Tutt and Noah Igbinoghene, a first-round NFL Draft selection of the Miami Dolphins, on special teams and both were among the national leaders as return specialists in 2019. Additionally, H-back Spencer Nigh (Pittsburgh) and punter Arryn Siposs (Detroit) signed as NFL free agents.

In 2018, Auburn ranked fifth nationally in net punting, recorded a national-best seven blocked kicks and was one of only two schools to rank in the top 50 in kickoff return average and defense, net punt and punt return average, earning Porter a Broyles Award nomination. H-back Chandler Cox, who was a four-year starter, was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

In his first season at Auburn in 2017, the Tigers became just the eighth team in SEC history to rush and pass for 3,000 yards in a season. They set a school record for points in SEC play (327), won the SEC West, and played in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Porter went to Auburn from Carolina, where he spent three seasons as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator. During his tenure, UNC made three consecutive bowl appearances and won the ACC Coastal Division in 2015. During that time, Porter was instrumental in the recruitment of Michael Carter, Dazz Newsome, Jason Strowbridge and many others.

In 2016, Porter was nominated for the Broyles Award after tutoring All-ACC running backs Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan. The duo combined to rush for 1,508 yards and 15 TDs. Hood (Oakland) and Logan (Arizona) were both selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. On special teams, the Tar Heels ranked first in the nation in punt return defense (0.22) and second in the nation in kickoff return average (26.97). Logan ranked second nationally in kickoff return average at 32.9 yards per return and scored two TDs.

Under his guidance in 2015, Carolina’s running game ranked 18th nationally, averaging 224.4 yards per game. That was the highest average on the ground at UNC since 1994. Carolina had the nation’s most improved rushing attack, averaging 1.99 more yards per carry than it did the previous year. Hood rushed for 1,463 yards and 17 TDs and was an All-ACC performer. As an offense, the Tar Heels finished ninth nationally and set a then-school record at 40.7 points per game. The group set 62 team and individual school records on offense.

In his first season at UNC, Porter was part of an offensive staff that set several school records and gained more than 5,000 yards of total offense. Rotating three running backs, the group produced 1,119 rushing yards and scored 11 TDs.

Porter came to UNC after one season as running backs coach at Texas, one year as running backs coach at Arizona State and two seasons as head coach at Memphis, his alma mater.

Porter spent five years on the LSU coaching staff from 2005-09, coaching running backs while also holding two key roles on staff as assistant head coach and chief recruiter. He was elevated to the position of assistant head coach during the spring of 2006 and was twice named National Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com (2007, ‘09). Part of LSU’s 2007 National Championship team, Porter developed two 1,000-yard rushers at LSU in Jacob Hester (2007) and Charles Scott (2008) and produced six NFL Draft selections (Hester, Joseph Addai, Quinn Johnson, Charles Scott, Trindon Holliday, Stevan Ridley).

Porter coached 1,000-yard rushers for three straight seasons while at Oklahoma State. In 2004, Vernand Morency earned All-Big 12 honors after rushing for 1,474 yards and 12 touchdowns. A year earlier, Tatum Bell earned first team All-Big 12 honors with 1,286 yards and 16 touchdowns. Morency was a third-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2005 and Bell was a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Prior to his arrival in Stillwater, Porter spent three years at Arkansas State, where he coached Jonathan Adams to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He began his coaching career at Wooddale High School in Memphis, Tenn., before moving to the collegiate ranks, coaching the running backs at Tennessee-Martin in 1998.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Porter lettered for four years (1990-93) at Memphis, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1996. He is a member of the Memphis Athletics M Club Hall of Fame. Porter and his wife, Sharmane, have three children; sons, Brandon and Omari, and daughter, Olivia.