Rich Rodriguez Could Turn to Open Student Tryouts to Fill Out WVU Roster

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Always willing to do everything possible to find the right players, Rich Rodriguez made an interesting announcement on Friday.

After admitting he’s much more satisfied with the state of his team compared to last year, Rodriguez revealed the possibility of employing an old school tactic that would be unconventional by today’s standards in an effort to fill out the roster.

Rodriguez is open to the idea of holding an open tryout for any WVU student.

“We do have a spot for one or two more. If we don’t fill that spot, we may have a student body tryout. So, if there is any West Virginia University student who wants to try out for a spot on the team, we’ll let them know next week if we’re going to do that,” Rodriguez told the media following WVU’s latest fall camp practice.

He even recalled finding a starter through a tryout during his time at Michigan. Jordan Kovacs played safety for the Wolverines from 2008-12 and was named a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection as a senior.

Kovacs even ended up playing multiple years in the NFL and now currently serves as the secondary/safeties coach for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Unlikely to actually resort to an open tryout, Rodriguez admitted he’s looking at a couple veteran players with renewed eligibility in addition to having already welcomed back cornerback Jason Chambers and tight end Jacob Barrick, granted he’s only working towards his goal of becoming a coach.

Jacob Barrick Around WVU Football Team to Pursue New Career Path

“There are others who, if the transfer thing comes through and you didn’t have to be in the portal and you could potentially be eligible, we may explore that,” he said.

“But we really haven’t pursued it much because there is so much grey area. They may approve guys to return to their previous school but not the transfers. I don’t know. I think there is something that is supposed to be ruled on the 17th (of August), which is Monday, so we may have some clarity then.”

Find more coverage of Rich Rodriguez the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.