WVU LB Reid Carrico Offers Candid Assessment of Program’s Culture

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU fans have heard Rich Rodriguez and other coaches speak positively about their belief in the future of the Mountaineers, but hearing from a departing player is different.

Linebacker Reid Carrico offered a candid assessment of where he believes the WVU program is headed while discussing the end of his college career and previewing the 2025 season finale on Tuesday.

“I’m excited to see what the team does next year and the teammates that I still have around here in Morgantown, I’m excited to watch and see how they play when it’s year two and maybe they’ll more comfortable in the system,” explained Carrico.

He then brought up how his optimism is rooted in how the team responded to their brutal losing steak. Being able to turn their level of play around and pick up a couple big wins speaks to the character of the team, according to Carrico.

“For a culture standpoint, it’s getting there. I don’t know that it’s all the way in yet but dag on sure working for it.”

What Carrico says should mean something since he saw what a championship atmosphere looked like first hand. The Ironton, Ohio native spent the first three years of his career with Ohio State, playing sparingly. Carrio transferred the year before the Buckeyes won last season’s College Football Playoff national championship.

He’s also experienced two different coaching staffs at WVU, the final season of Neal Brown and year one of Rodriguez’s return to West Virginia.

West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker Reid Carrico (35) rects during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Morgantown, W.Va. (WVSN photo by William Wotring)

Going into the last game of the season against Texas Tech, Carrico has been credited with 34 solo tackles for 58 in total. He recorded 54 with just 17 as solo in 2024.

Carrico has previously mentioned taking pride in building the WVU program back up to national relevance, even if the fruits of that labor aren’t realized until after he’s gone.

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