Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Fall Training Camp Begins Wednesday Morning
August 04, 2026 04:34 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Report day for the West Virginia University football team has arrived, although reporting these days basically means a drive across town to the Milan Puskar Center.
The vast majority of this year's football team has been in town all summer long working out with veteran strength coach Mike Joseph and doing team-related activities in preparation for year two of coach Rich Rodriguez's return to Morgantown.
Year one was down on the list of memorable seasons for Rodriguez, owner of 194 wins in 28 years as a collegiate coach. Of those, 64 have come at West Virginia during a seven-year stop from 2001-07, in addition to last season's disappointing 4-8 record.
"I can't look back on (2025) because I just get pissed because we played so bad, but you learn a little something every day and we kind of knew some of the issues that were going to come up," Rodriguez said last month at Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas.
Consequently, another massive roster overhaul was required to get West Virginia's talent to a competitive level in the Big 12.
The veteran coach also made a significant tweak to his coaching staff, adding 78-year-old offensive line coach Rick Trickett, who will be making his third tour of duty in Morgantown. The ex-Marine's second stint here in the early 2000s helped send the Mountaineers down the path toward one of their most successful periods in school history before his departure to Florida State.
The addition of Trickett, combined with some key transfers and freshman additions, has helped stabilize the offensive line situation and allowed Rodriguez to focus on other areas of his team.
"I've seen a difference in our O-line, not just because of coach Trickett, but also because of who we've brought in and who we've got coming back up front," Rodriguez said.
One of those returners is junior Nick Krahe, a starter last year at tackle who will likely move to guard this fall. Rodriguez brought Krahe to Big 12 media days and believes he could develop into one of the better offensive linemen in the conference this season.
Of course, the No. 1 topic on everybody's minds during training camp this fall will be the quarterback position, where sophomore Scotty Fox Jr. is returning and junior Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. was added to provide competition.
Fox established a school record for true freshman quarterbacks with his 301-yard passing performance in a loss to TCU and topped it a few weeks later with a 353-yard effort in a road loss at Arizona State.
His '25 season totals included 1,276 yards, seven touchdowns and a 59.4% completion rate through the air while adding 201 yards and three scores on the ground in 10 games.
Hawkins, a part-time starter at Oklahoma as a freshman in 2024, appeared in nine games over two seasons for the Sooners, completing 61.9% of his 147 pass attempts for 950 yards and six touchdowns. He also ran 84 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns, providing the dual-threat presence Rodriguez is always seeking from his quarterbacks.
Both, not to mention true freshman Jyron Hughley and senior Max Brown, will force opposing defenses to play 11-on-11 football this fall.
The first question Rodriguez was asked during the press conference portion of media day activities was about the team's quarterback battle heading into the fall and how he expects that to ignite his offense.
"We wanted to have competition at every position, and legitimate competition, and we wanted guys that had production – not potential," he explained. "So, at the quarterback spot, we've got Scotty coming back; he played as a really young true freshman last year, competed well, and has gotten better.
"But we wanted a guy that we think can compete for the starting job and maybe take us to another whole level, and that was Mike Hawkins, who had a great spring," Rodriguez added. "He can run, and he can throw."
What impressed Rodriguez most about the two during the spring were their decision making and poise operating the offense.
"A lot of times, the quarterback is still learning the system, and they hang on to the ball too long or they hesitate, and Mike and Scotty were both really, really decisive with their actions. I'm excited about those two leading the charge there, but I also think we were able to get competition at just about every position."
Another addition to the team was Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook, a senior who has previous Big 12 experience playing at TCU. Cook's 1,659 yards last year at Jacksonville State were the most of any returning player in FBS football, demonstrating Rodriguez's desire of seeking production over potential.
The fact that two of Cook's Jacksonville State offensive linemen (Bubba Grayson and Cameron Griffin), not to mention Trickett, his Jax State offensive line coach, are now in Morgantown will only help his transition.
Touted four-star true freshman running back Amari Latimer, listed at 232 pounds, is another back to keep an eye on this fall.
Defensively, second-year defensive coordinator Zac Alley will be counting on lots of new players added from the transfer portal, including Wisconsin transfer Geimere Latimer II at nickel safety. Latimer was one of three players Rodriguez took to media day last month.
Last year's defenders were in position on many occasions, but lacked the size, strength or athleticism to make the necessary plays. Rodriguez is hopeful improved NIL funding and more time to evaluate transfer portal players will fix some of those issues in 2026.
"We had a little bit more money this year, a lot more time and a little bit more intent on who we wanted to get out of the portal," he admitted.
"Money helps solve a lot of problems," the coach added. "You can make more mistakes if you've got more money, but you've still got to make the right decisions on staffing, on players, on play calls and all that kind of stuff."
Despite West Virginia's four victories and its 13th-place finish in the Big 12 standings, Rodriguez doesn't consider what happened last year an entirely lost cause, especially if his program can learn from it and grow in 2026.
"As tough as it was at times last year, I think it was our biggest learning year going forward to this year because we knew we'd have a little bit more time to find guys that were productive at other schools that played college football, as opposed to we didn't have any offensive linemen that started games last year," he noted. "We were able to get more guys that we thought were ready to play and more competition at all the positions, and you've got to constantly evolve a little bit.
"To win in college athletics, you have to be aligned all the way from the top down, from your board, your president, our athletic director and, obviously, your coaches and your players – and your fan base, as well. We have that at West Virginia. I feel confident we'll be a lot better this year – probably a lot better than people predict – but we've got to prove that first," Rodriguez concluded.
The proving portion starts tomorrow morning with the first practice of fall training camp. The team has practices scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week before hitting the pause button on on-field activities Sunday. The first workout in full gear is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Eleven practices are on the docket before the start of the fall semester begins on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
West Virginia opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Coastal Carolina at Milan Puskar Stadium. That game will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
WVU's seven-game home slate also includes matchups against UT-Martin, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas and Houston.
Be sure to explore the various season ticket options now available on WVUGAME.com, including the popular 304 package for the same price as last year with an extra game this fall.
The vast majority of this year's football team has been in town all summer long working out with veteran strength coach Mike Joseph and doing team-related activities in preparation for year two of coach Rich Rodriguez's return to Morgantown.
Year one was down on the list of memorable seasons for Rodriguez, owner of 194 wins in 28 years as a collegiate coach. Of those, 64 have come at West Virginia during a seven-year stop from 2001-07, in addition to last season's disappointing 4-8 record.
"I can't look back on (2025) because I just get pissed because we played so bad, but you learn a little something every day and we kind of knew some of the issues that were going to come up," Rodriguez said last month at Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas.
Consequently, another massive roster overhaul was required to get West Virginia's talent to a competitive level in the Big 12.
The veteran coach also made a significant tweak to his coaching staff, adding 78-year-old offensive line coach Rick Trickett, who will be making his third tour of duty in Morgantown. The ex-Marine's second stint here in the early 2000s helped send the Mountaineers down the path toward one of their most successful periods in school history before his departure to Florida State.
The addition of Trickett, combined with some key transfers and freshman additions, has helped stabilize the offensive line situation and allowed Rodriguez to focus on other areas of his team.
"I've seen a difference in our O-line, not just because of coach Trickett, but also because of who we've brought in and who we've got coming back up front," Rodriguez said.
One of those returners is junior Nick Krahe, a starter last year at tackle who will likely move to guard this fall. Rodriguez brought Krahe to Big 12 media days and believes he could develop into one of the better offensive linemen in the conference this season.
Of course, the No. 1 topic on everybody's minds during training camp this fall will be the quarterback position, where sophomore Scotty Fox Jr. is returning and junior Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. was added to provide competition.
Fox established a school record for true freshman quarterbacks with his 301-yard passing performance in a loss to TCU and topped it a few weeks later with a 353-yard effort in a road loss at Arizona State.
His '25 season totals included 1,276 yards, seven touchdowns and a 59.4% completion rate through the air while adding 201 yards and three scores on the ground in 10 games.
Hawkins, a part-time starter at Oklahoma as a freshman in 2024, appeared in nine games over two seasons for the Sooners, completing 61.9% of his 147 pass attempts for 950 yards and six touchdowns. He also ran 84 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns, providing the dual-threat presence Rodriguez is always seeking from his quarterbacks.
Both, not to mention true freshman Jyron Hughley and senior Max Brown, will force opposing defenses to play 11-on-11 football this fall.
The first question Rodriguez was asked during the press conference portion of media day activities was about the team's quarterback battle heading into the fall and how he expects that to ignite his offense.
"We wanted to have competition at every position, and legitimate competition, and we wanted guys that had production – not potential," he explained. "So, at the quarterback spot, we've got Scotty coming back; he played as a really young true freshman last year, competed well, and has gotten better.
"But we wanted a guy that we think can compete for the starting job and maybe take us to another whole level, and that was Mike Hawkins, who had a great spring," Rodriguez added. "He can run, and he can throw."
What impressed Rodriguez most about the two during the spring were their decision making and poise operating the offense.
"A lot of times, the quarterback is still learning the system, and they hang on to the ball too long or they hesitate, and Mike and Scotty were both really, really decisive with their actions. I'm excited about those two leading the charge there, but I also think we were able to get competition at just about every position."
Another addition to the team was Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook, a senior who has previous Big 12 experience playing at TCU. Cook's 1,659 yards last year at Jacksonville State were the most of any returning player in FBS football, demonstrating Rodriguez's desire of seeking production over potential.
The fact that two of Cook's Jacksonville State offensive linemen (Bubba Grayson and Cameron Griffin), not to mention Trickett, his Jax State offensive line coach, are now in Morgantown will only help his transition.
Touted four-star true freshman running back Amari Latimer, listed at 232 pounds, is another back to keep an eye on this fall.
Defensively, second-year defensive coordinator Zac Alley will be counting on lots of new players added from the transfer portal, including Wisconsin transfer Geimere Latimer II at nickel safety. Latimer was one of three players Rodriguez took to media day last month.
Last year's defenders were in position on many occasions, but lacked the size, strength or athleticism to make the necessary plays. Rodriguez is hopeful improved NIL funding and more time to evaluate transfer portal players will fix some of those issues in 2026.
"We had a little bit more money this year, a lot more time and a little bit more intent on who we wanted to get out of the portal," he admitted.
"Money helps solve a lot of problems," the coach added. "You can make more mistakes if you've got more money, but you've still got to make the right decisions on staffing, on players, on play calls and all that kind of stuff."
Despite West Virginia's four victories and its 13th-place finish in the Big 12 standings, Rodriguez doesn't consider what happened last year an entirely lost cause, especially if his program can learn from it and grow in 2026.
"As tough as it was at times last year, I think it was our biggest learning year going forward to this year because we knew we'd have a little bit more time to find guys that were productive at other schools that played college football, as opposed to we didn't have any offensive linemen that started games last year," he noted. "We were able to get more guys that we thought were ready to play and more competition at all the positions, and you've got to constantly evolve a little bit.
"To win in college athletics, you have to be aligned all the way from the top down, from your board, your president, our athletic director and, obviously, your coaches and your players – and your fan base, as well. We have that at West Virginia. I feel confident we'll be a lot better this year – probably a lot better than people predict – but we've got to prove that first," Rodriguez concluded.
The proving portion starts tomorrow morning with the first practice of fall training camp. The team has practices scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week before hitting the pause button on on-field activities Sunday. The first workout in full gear is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Eleven practices are on the docket before the start of the fall semester begins on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
West Virginia opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Coastal Carolina at Milan Puskar Stadium. That game will kick off at noon and will be televised nationally on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
WVU's seven-game home slate also includes matchups against UT-Martin, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas and Houston.
Be sure to explore the various season ticket options now available on WVUGAME.com, including the popular 304 package for the same price as last year with an extra game this fall.
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