West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the media after the fifth spring session of football. WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
--Rodriguez felt they got some work done today and went inside. They're not in shape yet but that will come in the fall.
--Rodriguez doesn't have any feel yet on what his team can do well. It starts up front with what they can do well and that's going to be a work in progress but he probably won't know that until two weeks into summer camp.
--Their version of the RPO was going on 10 years before he got here. It's expanded to different routes being part of the RPO stuff with more downfield routes.
--The guys have worked hard and the biggest drawback to the pace is more coach-oriented. Even though the group has been together, it's only five practices. He will have another meeting today about efficiency and situational with the coaches. They aren't doing a really good job of managing that. They have a certain number of plays they run and to him they aren't as efficient as much. The coaches are still adjusting to how they want to do it.
--Rodriguez said they run five minute periods and they want to get six, seven or eight plays but they want to get 15 or 16.
--Good coaches can fit in anywhere and fit with any scheme. You want everybody that can evaluate and recruit. The evaluation piece is different. You want to have good staff chemistry with the assistant coaches and the rest of the staff. He still coaches coaches on his staff.
--Everybody works together. He wanted to bring Michael Nysewander with him and he had experience with tight ends and slots, but Blaine Stewart had more experience with slots.
--Cornerback might be the hardest position to play as a freshman. You'll get exposed if you're not ready to go with at least three deep. They still might get another half dozen or so in the next portal there if it doesn't work out. He likes how they've progressed and they've challenged them and done well.
--They'll let you get away with some grabbing and holding but they're doing it a probably little more than they should at corner. They've blown some coverages which they expected but they've got to put them under some pressure now to know what they have in the fall.
--Rodriguez yells a lot. And they meet a lot with the other coaches. It helps him to learn because he has to evaluate every player.
--It's good that there are good moments and bad moments on each side of the ball. The scheme part, they'll get to that, the fundamental part and technique part they'll get to that but loafing and being soft that's an every day thing. Some of that comes from not being in shape. They have to point that out immediately and constantly and they haven't been doing as good of a job as they can coaching wise with that.
--You can have great facilities, a great scheme that fits you but if you're not paying them they're going to go somewhere else. Now, it's like some guys will change their clothes in a trash can if you give them enough money.
--Those guys that are former players understand the tempo and environment more than others. Almost every day one or two of the guys come back and they always embellish the stories and make it harder than it was and they try to say they can't be soft. Every coach wants their team to play hard so it's not like their outliers in that regard but what degree do they demand it.
--Just because you were a great player you aren't a great coach. The personality itself and you've got to know what you're talking about. If the players know you know what you're talking about and you can help them get better you'll have their attention.
--Pat White and Noel Devine have been great. They're working through it and this is big boy college football and a great opportunity and responsibility for them to prove themselves and climb the ladder. Both of those are going to be great coaches. Rasheed Marshall is a great coach that does a lot for players off the field.
--At this level they're going to have wideouts that can watch, but most importantly quarterbacks that can really throw which puts the conerbacks under a certain amount of pressure. Rodriguez believes they've gotten better there but they need to help them.
--No fullback, but now they use tight ends. They do a lot of 12-personnel and 13-personnel with two and three tight ends. He has an idea on the 105 exactly how many positions they have but they're still adjusting that and getting it ready.
--The seeding part of the College Football Playoff doesn't make a lot of sense, but Rodriguez believes that the Big 12 is in a good spot. The ones in the hardest position are in the group of five. He's always felt it was trending toward a 60-team division one and then the next group. It's hard to screw up college football but it seems like they've been doing what they can to do it and they need to get it fixed.
--Revenue sharing discussions have been going on since the last portal period in January and then Rodriguez hired Chuck Lillie. They'll have more discussions after spring ball. They have a model for what people will pay so they will have an adjustment period after spring ball and fall camp. They want to have a model where people earn success.
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