WVU Football Adds Rod West as Cornerbacks Coach

WVU football has hired former Appalachian State coach Rod West as its new cornerbacks coach, the program announced Wednesday.

West has been the cornerbacks coach at Appalachian State for the past four years. He has also been defensive passing game coordinator since 2022.

<

p style=”font-weight: 400;”>“Rod has built a strong reputation as a quality secondary coach, especially developing cornerbacks,” WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement. “He has had success at his different stops, coached several all-league and All-American corners and has shown an ability to recruit quality players. He is an outstanding addition to our coaching staff.”

Welcome to Almost Heaven, @CoachRodWest!

🔗 https://t.co/szfRUVFuQF#HailWV pic.twitter.com/M4BLhfWn9L

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) January 8, 2025

Prior to Appalachian State, West spent three seasons on the coaching staff at Richmond holding several positions, including co-defensive coordinator. He had jobs at several lower-division schools after graduating from Alabama State in 2008.

The announcement of West’s hiring continues a slew of coaching staff additions WVU football has made official in recent days. Rhett Rodriguez was announced as the quarterbacks coach earlier on Wednesday and Chris Haering was named special teams coordinator on Tuesday.

West joins a defensive coaching staff that so far includes defensive coordinator Zac Alley, bandit linebackers coach Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach William Green. It has also been reported that WVU will hire Gabe Franklin as its safeties coach, although now official announcement has been made.