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West Virginia QB room continues to excite Rodriguez

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West Virginia QB room continues to excite Rodriguez


West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez feels good about the quarterback room.

So much so that the head coach has doubled down on his excitement about the position in his two most recent interview sessions with the local media.

“I think of all the positions we have, I mean everybody’s worried about the quarterback position and I know I said this the other day but I feel really good about the quarterback room,” Rodriguez said. “Real good. So we’ll be O.K. there.”

That is quite a vote of confidence for a room that has plenty of question marks with the departure of multi-year starter Garrett Greene and not a ton of on the field experience.

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Redshirt junior Nicco Marchiol returns but has attempted just 122 passes over his three years completing 71 of those for 742 yards and 8 touchdowns. But Marchiol had his most productive season this past year completing 66-percent of his 56 passes for 434 yards and 5 of those scores.

When Greene was out with injury on the road against Arizona and Cincinnati, Marchiol engineered a pair of wins for the Mountaineers in his stead.

On top of Marchiol, West Virginia brought in two experienced transfers in Jaylen Henderson of Texas A&M and Max Brown from Charlotte. The pair have multiple years of experience at different locations with Henderson starting his career at Fresno State and Brown at Florida.

Henderson saw limited time at Fresno State appearing in five games but started the final four of the 2023 season for the Aggies. During that stretch he accounted for eight of the 14 team’s touchdowns over the final three games. He completed 53-of-78 for 715 yards and six passing touchdowns while also proving himself as a capable option with his legs.

Brown appeared in just five games in 2024 and completed 43-93 passes for 561 yards and 3 scores while rushing for 72 more. He also played in five more games during his time with the Gators where he threw for 192 yards and rushed for 37. Prior to that he was an accomplished quarterback at Lincoln Christian in Oklahoma where he accounted for 4,416 passing yards and 68 touchdowns in two years.

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The final two scholarship options in the room competing for the job are redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins who drew praises from the former coaching staff for his development although at the time it was said that patience was going to be needed.

True freshman Scotty Fox enrolled in January after a senior season where he racked up 3,076 total yards of offense. Those totals included 2,759 passing yards on a 64.0-percent completion rate with 34 touchdowns and 321 rushing yards with seven touchdowns.

The group will be coached by a combination of Rodriguez, his son Rhett and assistant quarterbacks coach Pat White. The first two on that list will play a role as a good cop/bad cop dynamic.

“So I think they get a little good cop, bad cop stuff with Rhett and I, but, you know, he’s done a great job with them. And I really, I like our quarterback room from a conscientious standpoint. I mean, those guys really are eager,” Rodriguez said.



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Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?

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Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?


Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.

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ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.

Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble

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Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Honor Huff (3) shoots a three point shot over BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) during the second half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State

Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana

First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati

Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall

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Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State

How is this even possible?

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Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge watched a play from the sideline during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Short answer? I don’t really know.

My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.

Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.

If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.

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The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.

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The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.

At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.



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Buckle up: West Virginia launching seatbelt enforcement campaign Friday

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Buckle up: West Virginia launching seatbelt enforcement campaign Friday


Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.

The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.

“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.

The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.

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Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.

Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.

“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.



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West Virginia man accused of threatening Trump, ICE agents indicted

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West Virginia man accused of threatening Trump, ICE agents indicted


A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.

Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.

Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.

The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”

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In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.

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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.



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