The first on-the-field staff for new West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez is starting to come together and thus far it’s been a mix of experience and familiarity.

Rodriguez has a salary pool of at least $5 million for his on the field assistants in every year of his five-year contract and while none of the hires have been made official yet we’re starting to get an idea of what some of the group is going to look like due to various reports.

The biggest piece of the puzzle was luring co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley from Oklahoma after only one season to reunite with Rodriguez in Morgantown. The pair worked together for two years at Jacksonville State and gives the Mountaineers a high quality coordinator on that side of the ball.

Alley, who called the Sooners defensive players this past season had the unit ranked 21st in total defense this past season allowing 318.2 yards per game and was tied for 18th in yards per play allowed at just 4.87. The Sooners were ranked 34th in scoring defense permitting just 21.58 points per contest during the regular season.

He had similar success during his time working under Rodriguez at Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks defense ranked 33rd in scoring defense at 21.2 points per game and 43rd in total defense helping to lead the Gamecocks to a 9-4 overall record in 2023. His unit had success in holding opponents to 2.8 yards per rush, or fourth nationally, was ranked eighth in tackles for loss with 414 and ninth in turnovers gained with 25.

Alley was making over $900,000 with a three-year contract with the Sooners, so there is obviously going to be quite the financial commitment here from West Virginia and Rodriguez.

While there have yet to be any designated assignments with press releases by the university, Rodriguez is expected to retain former offensive coordinator Chad Scott and tight ends coach Blaine Stewart. Those two combined were already under contract for $950,000 until 2026 with the program.

In terms of potential new hires, Rodriguez is expected to bring in a number of other assistants from his time at Jacksonville State including defensive line coach William Green, tight ends coach Michael Nysewander and wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett.

All three of those are young coaches with Garrett working under Rodriguez as a graduate assistant at Louisiana-Monroe and then joined the coaching staff in Jacksonville. He is expected to coach the wide receivers. Meanwhile, Nysewander was in his second season with the Gamecocks after time on the Mississippi coaching staff as an analyst. Finally, Green spent three seasons as the defensive line coach under Rodriguez at Jacksonville State after previously working at Louisiana-Monroe.

Outside of that net, Rodriguez is expected to bring in some veterans that have worked with him in the past in former Wisconsin offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. on offense and former West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel on the defensive side.

Aside from Wisconsin, Bicknell previously coached offensive lines Boston College, Mississippi, Auburn and Louisville during that time. He was on the same staff as Rodriguez at Mississippi in 2019.

Bicknell also has spent time at the NFL level as the assistant offensive line coach with New York Giants (2009-11), offensive line coach with the Kansas City Chiefs (2012), offensive line coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2013) and assistant offensive line coach with the Miami Dolphins (2014-17).

Casteel needs no introduction for West Virginia fans as he was the coordinator on the defensive side of the ball from 2002-11 after being brought to Morgantown by Rodriguez on his initial staff in 2001. Casteel, who hasn’t been assigned any specific role on the staff, has over 30 years of coaching experience and 27 as a defensive coordinator at multiple stops including time at Arizona and Nevada.

He had last served as a defensive analyst with the Mountaineers when he returned to the program in 2020 and remained there until 2023.

That’s a good mixture of both youth and experience as well as ties to either Rodriguez himself or the West Virginia football program at large. Clearly at this stage we don’t know all of the roles that some of this group of coaches will ultimately fill, but the makings of the initial staff is coming together.

As far as the rest of the staff, sources have indicated that Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson is a name that is expected to make the move to Morgantown as well in an unspecified role. That would be quite the pull as well if that falls in place as well as a few others.

Still, while the pieces of the puzzle aren’t quite fit together yet, we’re getting an idea of what the coaching staff under Rodriguez could look like in several different areas at the start of his second tenure in Morgantown.

Defensive coordinator Zac Alley leaving Oklahoma to take the same job at West Virginia seems on its surface like a step down. The mountains of Morgantown are pretty and all, but you don’t ditch a program like Oklahoma for the West Virginias of the world. 

But once you get past the initial shock value, Alley’s decision isn’t as dubious as it seems. 

At West Virginia, Alley will reunite with head coach Rich Rodriguez, whom Alley worked with at both Louisiana-Monroe and Jacksonville State. When Jacksonville State hired Rodriguez as head coach, Rodriguez hired Alley as his defensive coordinator. 

But Alley also worked with Brent Venables. For seven years at Clemson and one at Oklahoma. Alley’s relationship with Venables goes a lot deeper than his ties with Rodriguez. 

One big difference though. Under an offensive-minded coach like Rodriguez at West Virginia, Alley will presumably have full control of the defense. That’s something Alley never would’ve had at Oklahoma. Not with the defensive-obsessed Venables in charge. 

At OU, Alley was always going to exist in Venables’ shadow. Heck, he even talked like Venables. OU’s defense drastically improved this season, in what was Alley’s first as defensive coordinator, jumping from 79th in total defense in 2023 to 19th this season. 

REQUIRED READING: Navy coach Brian Newberry relishes bowl win vs OU with former Westmoore coaches, teammates

All of us, right or not, instinctively credit Venables for OU’s defensive transformation. 

At West Virginia, Alley will get all the credit or all the blame. 

And then there’s the job stability. 

Rodriguez, embarking on his second stint at West Virginia, is entering Year 1 of a five-year contract. He’s going to get at least, what, three years at his new-old job? 

Venables, meanwhile, is entering 2025 on the hot seat. He’s had a losing season in two of his three years at OU. He’s 22-17 overall and 12-14 in conference play. 

Venables could certainly turn things around, but I’d bet on Rodriguez outlasting Venables in their respective roles. 

OU is another 6-7 record away from likely cleaning house. 

Rather than risking going down with the ship, the 30-year-old Alley is starting anew in calmer waters.

CARLSON: Can Brent Venables right the ship after second losing season as OU football coach?

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

KenPom predicts how West Virginia will fare in Big 12 play

December/January

February

March

Overall