West Virginia NIL competitive, key in changing climate
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West Virginia has embraced the world of name, image and likeness when it comes to the two major sports.
It was evident this past off-season when the basketball program put together one of the best transfer classes in the country and football with the work they’ve done in that department.
At the center is the Country Roads Trust and when it comes to the open West Virginia basketball job it will be important to continue to develop that warchest for the future.
It’s hard to compare NIL opportunities between schools as they tend to exaggerate totals on both ends but Athletic Director Wren Baker certainly understands and has embraced it.
“I think it has been competitive and I think it will be competitive,” Baker said. “I’ve had conversations with people about NIL. Talk to the Trust a lot. The Trust has been a game changer for us.”
West Virginia plans to ensure that the basketball program has the resources to compete in the future and that expands to that realm as well.
“NIL is certainly a part of that,” Baker said.
Something that Baker is searching for in potential candidates is somebody who understands how to navigate roster building and developing a team in this new ever-changing climate. Recruiting and roster retention has completely changed in a few short years and being able to handle that in a conference as difficult and competitive as the Big 12 is paramount.
“We particularly know we have to have somebody that can navigate recruiting and retention in the era of the portal and NIL,” Baker said. “I’ve seen the way our football program has grown and embraced that and the difference it’s made for them.”
And on top of roster building, Baker is searching for a coach who also can mesh those personalities and develop a winning culture despite all of the movement that occurs on a yearly basis with players. He plans to talk to coaches who are having success and see how they are building camaraderie and the sense of pulling together for one to get a better idea of what to identify in that department.
“Those coaches that win at a high level consistently have a winning culture and assessing that on the move when so many recruits are just looking at NIL opportunities is much more art than science,” Baker said.
While Baker does believe that there is a window for a new coach to have success early based on the fact that the transfer portal can rebuild rosters quickly, the focus will be on developing the program. That means creating the right culture and securing the right staff and systems to have success.
“You have to have patience and allow them to grow into it,” he said.
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