logo
Rich Rodriguez demands toughness at WVU, says his players are too 'soft'

Rich Rodriguez demands toughness at WVU, says his players are too 'soft'

Dominion Post2 days ago
MORGANTOWN — When Rich Rodriguez was a kid, he went out to his yard to the garden in Grant Town to pick weeds.
'I hated pulling weeds,' Rodriguez said. 'I'd rather do anything else than pull weeds … It's miserable. Absolutely miserable.'
Rodriguez tried to play a sport to get out of pulling weeds. What sport? Any sport to get out of pulling weeds, even if it was lacrosse, which wasn't popular at that time.
On Thursday, Rodriguez took the podium frustrated after practice No. 2. He said his team took a step back in a couple of ways, but the reason he was most frustrated was that the team wasn't as tough as he wanted them to be, which he said after practice No. 1, there was no excuse for.
'I thought we were a little soft at times,' Rodriguez said. 'We got some good in, but it wasn't the step that we probably needed to take. We have to get better tomorrow.'
Soft and Rodriguez don't mix well together. Rodriguez's father would come home after a long day at work with black coal dust on his face from the mines, and Rodriguez spent most of his summers in the garden picking weeds, so there was no time to be soft.
He couldn't wrap his head around why his players were soft. They had everything they needed to exceed.
'You know the people in this state, how they work,' Rodriguez said. 'I mean, you've seen people. Whether they're coal miners or anybody, it's not always easy. Our guys got it pretty good. Y'all been through this building? Have you seen how we eat? You've seen all the services we have. They got it pretty good. They live in a fantasy world. I don't mind telling them. We live, coaches, too, because we get these benefits. We live in a fantasy world. We want for nothing. You want food. You want medical help. You want job help. You want financial help. I mean, we got cold tubs, hot tubs. We even got an ice cream machine.'
Rodriguez talked about how he didn't want to get political, but from 2001, when he first started coaching at WVU, to 2025, he feels athletes have gotten 'softer.'
'I don't really necessarily blame anybody, because everything they've got now is how do they make it easier for you?' Rodriguez said. 'They might make it easy instead of making things harder for them.'
This is a problem for Rodriguez because his coaching style is to play with a 'hard edge,' meaning playing tough, hitting hard, moving bodies, no matter the circumstance, until after the whistle. Rodriguez thought, too, that now that they are getting paid, they can be pushed harder. He even banned his players from filming TikToks to remove any weakness.
Leading up to the first game, Rodriguez hopes to toughen up his players by figuratively getting them to pull weeds.
'You throw them out in the garden and don't let them leave until they pull it,' Rodriguez said. 'That's it. Go pull or you can't eat any of the beans. That's it. You guys think I'm making up stories, but my mom, if you have ever been to my mom, ask her, 'What did Rich hate to do?' I bet you top of the list, pulling weeds.'
On the first day of practice, which Rodriugez thought was pretty good, he said some of the wide receivers were cramping up because of the volume of his offense. He said he's not opposed to still getting players in the transfer portal.
After the second day, Rodriguez brought back up the idea of getting players who are tougher out of the portal if the 115 he has on the roster aren't as tough as he wants them to be.
'There are still 4,000 kids in the portal,' Rodriguez said. 'I got a recruiting staff. I got a big old recruiting staff. They do a really nice job. They're in. They're still looking. We're still looking.'
Rodriguez's tone might seem harsh for the second day of the long camp, leading up to the first game, but he has a standard he wants met. Rodriguez didn't watch much game film from the Neal Brown era, but he thought the team wasn't tough at times, and Rodriguez wanted to change that.
Rodriguez is going to make sure his team is tough, whether that's new players from the portal or just making his current players pick weeds.
Rodriguez's dissatisfaction after practice two isn't anything new. His wife, Rita, told him after practice that he's always like this after the second practice, and Rodriguez agreed.
'I tried not to be,' Rodriguez said. 'In fact, when I woke up this morning, I'm like, 'boy, we had a pretty good practice yesterday. I'm going to have another good day. I'm not even going to have to yell. It's just going to be probably a popsicle break, and another popsicle break afterwards.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez eviscerate reeling Yankees: ‘Can't make this up'
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez eviscerate reeling Yankees: ‘Can't make this up'

New York Post

time7 hours ago

  • New York Post

Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez eviscerate reeling Yankees: ‘Can't make this up'

Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free It sounds like two former Yankees greats are not at all satisfied about the team's current state. During the FOX Sports pregame show ahead of MLB's Speedway Classic game between the Braves and Reds that was suspended due to rain on Saturday, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez bluntly criticized their former team. When asked about the Yankees' back-to-back losses against the Marlins on Friday and Saturday, Rodriguez wasted no time calling out the pitching performances. 'You can't make this up,' Rodriguez said. 'I mean, look, you can bring in nine relievers, it's not going to make a difference. I don't care if you bring back their '98 bullpen with Mariano [Rivera], Mike Stanton, and Jeff Nelson, if your pitchers are going 3⅓, 4⅓, it's not going to work.' 4 Alex Rodriuez and Derek Jeter made the comments during the FOX Sports pregame show ahead of MLB's Speedway Classic game that was suspended due to rain and will be played on Sunday afternoon. FOX Sports The 14-time All-Star added that — even following the Yankees' trade deadline acquisitions — the team needs to 'restructure' their roster. 'Here is my biggest concern,' Rodriguez said. 'You bring in seven guys and you're still miles away from winning a world title. … You've got to restructure this roster. I like a lot of the players individually but together it just doesn't work.' 'I'm not sure where you go from here,' he concluded. Jeter echoed Rodriguez's sentiment about the Yankees' pitching, but also pointed out the amount of mistakes the team has had in recent games. 'They make way too many mistakes,' Jeter said. 'And you can't get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams. It just doesn't happen. They had base running mistakes today — you saw the guy getting thrown out at home plate. You can't continue to do it. You have to clean it up.' 4 Jazz Chisholm Jr., walks back to the dugout after striking out in the seventh inning of the Yankees' 2-0 road loss to the Marlins on Aug. 2, 2025. AP 4 Austin Wells gets thrown out in a rundown in the ninth inning after mistakenly thinking there were three outs, but the Yankees still manager to squeak out a walk-off win over the Rays in the 10th on July 30, 2025. Robert Sabo / New York Post Additionally, Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a base running blunder during Saturday's loss, getting doubled off at first base following a caught pop fly to Miami's second baseman. Jeter then said that the solution for the Yankees was simple — they just have to play better. 'There are no excuses you have to play better,' Jeter added. 'If you don't play better you are not going to go very far.' 4 Aaron Boone talks with Meredith Marakovits, Michael Kay and other members of the media before the Yankees' road loss to the Marlins. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Later on in the segment, Rodriguez chimed in and said that there is no accountability for the Yankees players this season. 'Where's the accountability,' Rodriguez said. 'If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting out butt right on the bench. I see mistake after mistake and there's no consequences.' This comes after a disappointing July for the Yankees which has seen the team fall to third place in the AL East with a 60-51 record, putting them 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Blue Jays. The Yankees look to avoid being swept by the Marlins on Sunday at 1:40 p.m.

2025 Big 12 Head Coach Rankings: Preseason College Football Preview
2025 Big 12 Head Coach Rankings: Preseason College Football Preview

Miami Herald

time18 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

2025 Big 12 Head Coach Rankings: Preseason College Football Preview

Just like the entire Big 12 going into the season, trying to figure out which coaches are the best right now - and which are at the bottom of the rankings - was mostly a coin a league loaded with rising teams that could all pull off an Arizona State shocker of last year, and that's partly because each team has a big-time head coach. Whether it's Scott Frost going back to UCF, Rich Rodriguez returning to West Virginia, or all the good coaches who rocked at other places and continue to get up to speed at their Big 12 spots, the league has accomplished are we supposed to rank them going into the season?We'll cut Kyle Whittingham and Mike Gundy some slack after shockingly off years, acknowledge the high-risers, the under-appreciated, and ...We're doing this by feel, past greatness, tenure, upside, everything. Keep in mind that we'll probably change most of this wildly after the year, but going into the 2025 season ... - Predicting every Big 12 game 16 Scott Frost, UCF Career FBS Win %: 47.9 FBS Wins: 35 Winning FBS Seasons: 1 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 6.5 Average Wins Per Season: 5.38 % Seasons With Winning Record: 15.38% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: NR Consensus Coach of the Year in 13-0 2017 season at UCF 15 Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati Career FBS Win %: 58.8 FBS Wins: 80 Winning FBS Seasons: 7 FBS Conference Championships: 3 Total FBS Seasons: 11 Average Wins Per Season: 7.27 % Seasons With Winning Record: 63.64% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 16 3 straight Sun Belt titles from 2016 to 2018 with App State 14 Brent Brennan, Arizona Career FBS Win %: 40.4 FBS Wins: 38 Winning FBS Seasons: 3 FBS Conference Championships: 2 Total FBS Seasons: 8 Average Wins Per Season: 4.75 % Seasons With Winning Record: 37.50% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 7 Won the 2020 Mountain West Championship; took the program to three bowls in last four years 13 Joey McGuire, Texas Tech Career FBS Win %: 59 FBS Wins: 23 Winning FBS Seasons: 2 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 3 Average Wins Per Season: 7.67 % Seasons With Winning Record: 66.67% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 11 Three bowl appearances in first three seasons 12 Dave Aranda, Baylor Career FBS Win %: 50.8FBS Wins: 31Winning FBS Seasons: 2FBS Conference Championships: 1Total FBS Seasons: 5Average Wins Per Season: 6.20% Seasons With Winning Record: 40.00%2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 12Won 2021 Big 12 Championship; three bowls in last four years 11 Willie Fritz, Houston Career FBS Win %: 54.7FBS Wins: 75Winning FBS Seasons: 6FBS Conference Championships: 2Total FBS Seasons: 11Average Wins Per Season: 6.82% Seasons With Winning Record: 54.55%2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 62022 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year at Tulane; 9th in both final 2022 polls 10 Lance Leipold, Kansas Career FBS Win %: 49.2 FBS Wins: 59 Winning FBS Seasons: 4 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 10 Average Wins Per Season: 5.90 % Seasons With Winning Record: 40.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 2 6 Division III National Titles at UW Whitewater 9 Deion Sanders, Colorado Career FBS Win %: 52 FBS Wins: 13 Winning FBS Seasons: 1 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 2 Average Wins Per Season: 6.50 % Seasons With Winning Record: 50.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 15 Three 9+ win seasons in last four years at Jackson State and Colorado 8 Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia Career FBS Win %: 59.9 FBS Wins: 136 Winning FBS Seasons: 15 FBS Conference Championships: 5 Total FBS Seasons: 19 Average Wins Per Season: 7.16 % Seasons With Winning Record: 78.95% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 3* (in CUSA) 32-5 in last three seasons at West Virginia and won 57 games in his final six years 7 Chris Klieman, Kansas State Career FBS Win %: 63.2 FBS Wins: 48 Winning FBS Seasons: 5 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 6 Average Wins Per Season: 8.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 83.33% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 4 4 national titles in 5 years at North Dakota State 6 Kalani Sitake, BYU Career FBS Win %: 62.6 FBS Wins: 72 Winning FBS Seasons: 7 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 9 Average Wins Per Season: 8.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 77.78% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 13 Three double-digit win seasons in the last five years 5 Sonny Dykes, TCU Career FBS Win %: 56.3 FBS Wins: 98 Winning FBS Seasons: 8 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 14 Average Wins Per Season: 7.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 57.14% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 10 2022 Coach of the Year taking TCU to a national championship appearance 4 Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Career FBS Win %: 65.8 FBS Wins: 169 Winning FBS Seasons: 18 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 20 Average Wins Per Season: 8.45 % Seasons With Winning Record: 90.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 3 18 straight winning seasons before last year; second-longest tenured current coach at one school 3 Matt Campbell, Iowa State Career FBS Win %: 60 FBS Wins: 99 Winning FBS Seasons: 11 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 13 Average Wins Per Season: 7.62 % Seasons With Winning Record: 84.62% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 5 AP Coach of the Year 2017 & 2020 2 Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State Career FBS Win %: 56 FBS Wins: 14 Winning FBS Seasons: 1 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 2 Average Wins Per Season: 7.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 50.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 14 Big 12 Coach of the Year taking ASU to the Big 12 title and CFP 1 Kyle Whittingham, Utah Career FBS Win %: 66 FBS Wins: 167 Winning FBS Seasons: 17 FBS Conference Championships: 3 Total FBS Seasons: 20 Average Wins Per Season: 8.35 % Seasons With Winning Record: 85.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 1 Ten straight winning seasons before last year; third-longest tenured current coach at one school - Every Big 12 Team's 2025 Preview © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rich Rodriguez demands toughness at WVU, says his players are too 'soft'
Rich Rodriguez demands toughness at WVU, says his players are too 'soft'

Dominion Post

time2 days ago

  • Dominion Post

Rich Rodriguez demands toughness at WVU, says his players are too 'soft'

MORGANTOWN — When Rich Rodriguez was a kid, he went out to his yard to the garden in Grant Town to pick weeds. 'I hated pulling weeds,' Rodriguez said. 'I'd rather do anything else than pull weeds … It's miserable. Absolutely miserable.' Rodriguez tried to play a sport to get out of pulling weeds. What sport? Any sport to get out of pulling weeds, even if it was lacrosse, which wasn't popular at that time. On Thursday, Rodriguez took the podium frustrated after practice No. 2. He said his team took a step back in a couple of ways, but the reason he was most frustrated was that the team wasn't as tough as he wanted them to be, which he said after practice No. 1, there was no excuse for. 'I thought we were a little soft at times,' Rodriguez said. 'We got some good in, but it wasn't the step that we probably needed to take. We have to get better tomorrow.' Soft and Rodriguez don't mix well together. Rodriguez's father would come home after a long day at work with black coal dust on his face from the mines, and Rodriguez spent most of his summers in the garden picking weeds, so there was no time to be soft. He couldn't wrap his head around why his players were soft. They had everything they needed to exceed. 'You know the people in this state, how they work,' Rodriguez said. 'I mean, you've seen people. Whether they're coal miners or anybody, it's not always easy. Our guys got it pretty good. Y'all been through this building? Have you seen how we eat? You've seen all the services we have. They got it pretty good. They live in a fantasy world. I don't mind telling them. We live, coaches, too, because we get these benefits. We live in a fantasy world. We want for nothing. You want food. You want medical help. You want job help. You want financial help. I mean, we got cold tubs, hot tubs. We even got an ice cream machine.' Rodriguez talked about how he didn't want to get political, but from 2001, when he first started coaching at WVU, to 2025, he feels athletes have gotten 'softer.' 'I don't really necessarily blame anybody, because everything they've got now is how do they make it easier for you?' Rodriguez said. 'They might make it easy instead of making things harder for them.' This is a problem for Rodriguez because his coaching style is to play with a 'hard edge,' meaning playing tough, hitting hard, moving bodies, no matter the circumstance, until after the whistle. Rodriguez thought, too, that now that they are getting paid, they can be pushed harder. He even banned his players from filming TikToks to remove any weakness. Leading up to the first game, Rodriguez hopes to toughen up his players by figuratively getting them to pull weeds. 'You throw them out in the garden and don't let them leave until they pull it,' Rodriguez said. 'That's it. Go pull or you can't eat any of the beans. That's it. You guys think I'm making up stories, but my mom, if you have ever been to my mom, ask her, 'What did Rich hate to do?' I bet you top of the list, pulling weeds.' On the first day of practice, which Rodriugez thought was pretty good, he said some of the wide receivers were cramping up because of the volume of his offense. He said he's not opposed to still getting players in the transfer portal. After the second day, Rodriguez brought back up the idea of getting players who are tougher out of the portal if the 115 he has on the roster aren't as tough as he wants them to be. 'There are still 4,000 kids in the portal,' Rodriguez said. 'I got a recruiting staff. I got a big old recruiting staff. They do a really nice job. They're in. They're still looking. We're still looking.' Rodriguez's tone might seem harsh for the second day of the long camp, leading up to the first game, but he has a standard he wants met. Rodriguez didn't watch much game film from the Neal Brown era, but he thought the team wasn't tough at times, and Rodriguez wanted to change that. Rodriguez is going to make sure his team is tough, whether that's new players from the portal or just making his current players pick weeds. Rodriguez's dissatisfaction after practice two isn't anything new. His wife, Rita, told him after practice that he's always like this after the second practice, and Rodriguez agreed. 'I tried not to be,' Rodriguez said. 'In fact, when I woke up this morning, I'm like, 'boy, we had a pretty good practice yesterday. I'm going to have another good day. I'm not even going to have to yell. It's just going to be probably a popsicle break, and another popsicle break afterwards.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store