Opinion
Top Candidates for WVU Football RB Coach Position
With Larry Porter leaving West Virginia after just one season to return to one of his previous stops, WVU football is in search of a new running backs coach.
The running back room, one that was riddled with injuries during the 2025 season, will also look a lot different in 2026 with the departures of Jahiem White, Diore Hubbard and others to the transfer portal. Under pressure to make West Virginia a winner again, Rich Rodriguez will need to make sure he finds the right coach to replace Porter, especially since the running back position is so important to his offensive scheme.
The names below are possible candidates for the role of WVU running backs coach:
In no particular order
Likely Replacements
It’s possible Rodriguez feels Devine is ready to ascend and lead the position group. While it would be a bit of a risk to promote Devine based on his lack of coaching experience, he was part of his 2025 staff and is a well respected figure in general. He could be a coach running backs would want to play for and the opportunity to learn from a program legend could help sell players on joining the team.
A WVU football legend and WVU Sports Hall of Famer, Devine ran for 4,315 yards and scored 29 touchdowns as a Mountaineer. He also made 98 receptions and racked up 710 more yards as a receiver.
Rod McDowell
If Rodriguez doesn’t feel Devine is ready, he could still elevate someone within the state. Rod McDowell is already familiar with West Virginia and has a history with Rodriguez.
Currently serving as Marshall’s running backs coach, McDowell worked in the same role under Rodriguez during his time at Jacksonville State. And going beyond his connections, McDowell has a track record of producing production. The Gamecocks ranked third in the country in rushing under McDowell and he developed Tre Stewart, who rushed for 1,638 yards and scored 25 touchdowns.
A Home Run Hire
Ja’Juan Seider
While luring Seider over from Notre Dame may seem like a long shot, his love for West Virginia and the Mountaineers could play a factor in convincing him to work under Rodriguez.
If WVU is truly operating in a “go for it now” mentality, doing whatever it takes to pull Seider away from Notre Dame might worth it. That said, Seider would obviously come at an expensive price.
Ja’Juan Seider while serving as Penn State’s running backs coach. (WVSN photo by David Hague)
Before joining the Irish ahead of the 2025 season, Seinder spent seven years as the assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Penn State. During his time with the Nittany Lions, Seider helped develop top running backs like Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.
Seider served as Chad Johnson and Mark Bulger’s backup quarterback at WVU from 1995-98. He appeared in seven games, completing 7-of-16 pass attempts for 133 yards and adding 28 yards on the ground.
He then finished his college career at Florida A&M, throwing for 2,622 yards and 27 touchdowns while completing 61% of his passes. He also ran for 740 yards and scored 14 touchdowns as a runner. Seider was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the then San Diego Chargers.
Seider eventually got into the coaching after a brief professional career, starting at the high school level before returning to West Virginia as a grad assistant under Bill Stewart for the 2008-09 seasons. Fast forward several years and Dana Holgorsen hired Seider to be WVU’s running backs coach.
Unlikely But Needs Mentioned
The chances Rodriguez is going to re-hire one of Neal Brown’s assistant are slim, but Scott’s name has to be brought up based on the recent circumstances. Scott was fired by Texas and Porter was reported as leaving for Auburn within the same week.
Scott may not have worked out with the Long Horns, but he had a track record of getting the most out of running backs at WVU and was even credited with transforming CJ Donaldson from a player without a true position to a productive running back. Donaldson had never played running back at any level before working with Scott.
WVU running backs coach Chad Scott at the 2024 Gold-Blue Spring Game. (WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose)
It’s also worth noting Scott was briefly going to remain on staff after the transition from Brown to Rodriguez before taking the job with Texas. And with Jahiem White planning to enter the transfer portal, Scott could help convince the star running back to return to WVU if that’s something Rodriguez wants to pursue.
No Chance
Because someone will undoubtedly mention Slaton’s name, WV Sports Now can confirm the newly minted College Football Hall of Famer has no interest in the job. Slaton has no desire to coach college football or move from Houston to Morgantown for that matter. Any speculating or conversation about Slaton is unfounded and a waste of time.
This list is subject to change
Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.
For related content, Mike Asti and Luke Blain discussed the WVU football players entering the transfer portal, Jahiem White’s departure and the vacancy at running backs coach on a recent episode of Mountaineer Report.
