WVU OL Nick Krahe Details Getting to Know Position Coach Rick Trickett

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. WVU offensive line coach Rick Trickett might be a familiar name to Mountaineer fans, but most of the current roster wasn’t even born when he first served West Virginia.

Officially announced as following Rich Rodriguez back to WVU on Dec. 30, 2025, Trickett’s new group of offensive linemen have had a couple months to get to know their new position coach. And with a couple practices from the spring period in the books, they have now seen Trickett in action.

On Monday, veteran offensive lineman Nick Krahe, who was initially recruited by Neal Brown and is now one of the few carryovers from Rodriguez’s first season back, was asked what Trickett has been like so far and what he’s learned from such an accomplished coach.

“I think he’s a great coach. Just getting to know him throughout the winter process and starting spring ball, he’s a great coach,” said Krahe about Trickett.

“We’ve learned a lot, I’d say. All kinda crammed into a short time period, but we’re learning a lot and that’s good for us.”

Krahe also admitted he heard all the stories about Trickett, most notably from his personal trainer back home in Erie, Pa., Jeff Lewis, a former Mountaineer who played under Trickett.

“I had an idea of what I was going to get into, but it’s live up to fruition and I’m having a great time.”

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 316 pounds, Krahe will be relied upon to be a leader for the revamp offensive line. He started all 12 games at tackle in 2025 and saw time on 60 or more plays in 11 of those games.

More background information about Rick Trickett:

One of the longest tenured (52 years) and most accomplished offensive line coaches in the nation, Trickett returns for his third stint with the Mountaineers (1976-79, 2001-06) and third as a member of Rodriguez’s staff. He coached with Rodriguez at West Virginia (2001-06) and at Jacksonville State (2022-24).

“Rick and I have been in the trenches together for many years, and he knows our offense very well and what we need to do to be successful,” Rodriguez said. “The experience he brings to our program will be invaluable, and I know that returning to his home state and WVU was an important factor for him.”

Trickett was at Jacksonville State since 2022, arriving when Rodriguez was hired by the Gamecocks. He, of course, was Rodriguez’s associate head coach and offensive line coach from 2001-2006.

Trickett also worked for another West Virginia native coaching legend, Jimbo Fisher, for 10 years at Florida State, which included being part of the 2013 national championship team.

Trickett’s son, Travis, made his own West Virginia return last year to serve as a senior offensive assistant.

Find more coverage of the WVU Football program at WV Sports Now.

For a related story, WVU legend Owen Schmitt expressed his excitement about Rick Trickett’s return.