Rich Rodriguez Makes His Intentions With Freshman Matt Sieg Clear

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Months after entertaining the thought of his prized freshman pulling double duty, Rich Rodriguez poured water on the idea. Rodriguez made what Matt Sieg is working on during fall camp after a practice on Wednesday.

So after flirting with the idea in the spring, Rodriguez told reporters that Sieg has strictly just been focusing on safety. He hasn’t even considered giving Sieg time on offense since the team reconvened in August to start preparing for the season.

“We thought from the start that out biggest need was at safety. And so he’s not done anything on offense.”

However, Rodriguez was complimentary of Sieg overall. He said Sieg is where he hoped he would be at this point. He also added that he tries to make practice as competitive as possible so he can evaluate someone like Sieg before seeing him in a college game. 

Based on all accounts, Rodriguez is preparing to provide Sieg an opportunity to make an impact as a true freshman.

Echoing Rodriguez’s early opinions of Sieg, defensive coordinator Zac Alley gushed about the top Western Pennsylvania recruit who picked West Virginia over both Penn State and Pitt back in April.

“I think Matt’s [Sieg] done a great job. I mean, everything you could expect of a freshman coming into a new system and all of that. He’s got all the athletic ability in the world and he’s been running really well. I think he’s really smart so he plays smart. He’s very football savvy. He’s just a natural kid out there. He understands where the ball is, the angles to take and he’s got great ball skills and all of that,” Alley said, raving about what it’s been like to coach Sieg so far.

If things change and Rodriguez does unleash Sieg as a spark for the offense, WVU inside receivers coach Logan Bradley will be ready. He even hinted at already having a plan in place in case that exact scenario would materialize in the middle of the season.

WVU safety Matt Sieg enjoys a break during the scrimmage of the 2026 Gold-Blue Spring Festival. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose)

Sieg owns multiple WPIAL records, most notably for career total yardage. He wrapped up his high school career and recruitment as the No. 3 player in Pennsylvania, per 247Sports, along with being the No. 9 safety in the country from his class and the No. 79 overall player. Despite playing quarterback, he was always projected to be a safety at the next level.

Sieg talked about his desire to play offense with WV Sports Now at the beginning of his recruitment.

“I like their offense and it’s very fun to watch. I like that it’s uptempo and high powered. I think I could definitely succeed there no matter where I play, just off of scheme, but I also think there are great coaches and all the tools to further develop my game in all aspects.”

At one point, Sieg had offers from schools such as Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pitt, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin among others.

Find more coverage of Matt Sieg and the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.