Rich Rodriguez Explains Method to His Madness, Benefits of ‘Hard Edge’ to Mountaineers

Rich Rodriguez may require his players embody his “hard edge” mentality, but there’s also a method to his madness. Rodriguez explained why he demands so much from his players after a recent WVU spring practice.

“I want you to go through hard stuff, become closer, and then have a winning locker room. For the rest of your life, that will be the best time of your life,” Rodriguez told his team in a video shared by senior offensive assistant Travis Trickett as they huddled up at the conclusion of practice on Tuesday.

“Success is best shared, so when we have success, these are the people you are going to share it with, and you will never forget it,” he added to further motivate his team.

🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/mjYJ8byiu6

— Travis Trickett (@CoachTTrickett) March 11, 2025

To no surprise, the high tempo of a Rodriguez team has been evident throughout the spring practice period. No one, and that means no one, is allowed to stand around during practice.

In one of his post practice media sessions, Rodriguez explained that there’s plenty of time to stand and sit during meetings – he joked they meet more than congress. This appears to be something the players are getting used to.

While players were sprinting to lineup for the next play during practice, Rodriguez could still be heard yelling for them to be even faster. It’s all about seeing a sense of urgency.

West Virginia won’t be holding a spring GAME this year. Instead, the WVU football will offer fans a Gold-Blue “Showcase” event to take place on Saturday, April 5.

For a related story, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti details his current takeaways from spring ball.