Wren Baker Expects ‘Step Forward’ for WVU Football in 2026

WVU fans are expecting their Mountaineers to take a big step forward in year two of Rich Rodriguez’s return tenure, and so is West Virginia’s director of athletics Wren Baker.

Baker said as much during a recent appearance on the “Big 12 Today” show. Aside from his continued belief in Rodriguez, who he provided another chance to lead the Mountaineers ahead of the 2025 season, a campaign that ended 4-8, Baker’s reasons for his high expectations for 2026 make sense.

“I think we’re expecting to take a big step forward,” said Baker. “Last year, you come in and not only are you replacing virtually a whole new team, and you’re trying to assemble a staff; you don’t have a GM on the ground yet. And so from a recruiting standpoint, you are way, way behind because the volume you’re trying to get and the amount of decisions you’re having to make…we all know in this new world you’re dealing with really a budget that’s a salary pool; you can only spend so much on one position and so much on one player.”

He continued. “But when you need one hundred players, that’s a really complicated puzzle piece, especially when you didn’t have any time to really game plan for that.”

Baker has noticed a difference when watching the current team practice, too.

“Just being out there at practice, there’s a lot less misses in the recruiting cycle. I know they’re very excited about the players that we have. Rich signed a bunch of young guys, and there’s some of them that are ready to play, but there’s still some that are going to need development. We probably need to avoid injury to have the kind of season we want to have, but there’s a lot of excitement.”

Baker also needs to hope he’s right in his optimism. Because for all of the success of the rest of the athletic department and the great strides he’s made from a financial perspective, Baker knows his tenure will ultimately be judged on the success, or lack there of, for the football and men’s basketball programs, but football above all else.

And at least based on their first seasons at the helm, Ross Hodge has a leg up Rodriguez as Baker hopes they both have big breakthrough second seasons.

Find more coverage of Wren Baker at WV Sports Now.