MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Continuity is almost a thing of the past in college football.
Yet as West Virginia opened fall camp Wednesday, the Mountaineers did so unaware how much, if any, the team’s roster will change over the next month ahead of a September 5 season opener against Coastal Carolina.
The NCAA has appealed a ruling last Friday from a U.S. District Judge in Colorado that issued an injunction against the governing body of college athletes and allowed for a fifth year of eligibility for all class of 2022 athletes. Two days later, more clarification was added on the matter, making it so athletes granted a fifth year of eligibility do not override current transfer rules, roster limits or revenue-sharing totals.
“It is kind of chaotic that it’s going to happen right before everybody does their camp,” Rodriguez said. “I know the NCAA is appealing it. I don’t know if you can add or not. We’re certainly not going to cut anybody. I don’t think that would be right. The guys that have worked hard all summer and spring that are on the roster now, they’re going to be on the roster.”
Rodriguez didn’t rule out that WVU adding to its roster in August.
“We have a couple spots open that we can add a guy or two, but right now, we just have it on pause,” he said. “There are guys that I guess can be in the portal maybe, too, that you could get. We’re researching it and talking to a few that might be eligible. But we’re not adding anybody right now for sure. Now 24 hours from now, maybe we do, because there are a couple that are eligible or at least could return for a fifth year that were here last year.”
Class of 2022 high school graduates on last year’s Mountaineer roster that a fifth season of eligibility across five years would apply to include punter Oliver Straw, safety Fred Perry, tight end Jacob Barrick, defensive back Jason Chambers and defensive lineman Eddie Kelly Jr.
Barrick ís now a graduate assistant in the program.
“Isn’t it crazy what’s going on right now? Right now, my main focus is on getting the guys that have been here ready to play,” Rodriguez said, “but I have enough people on the staff to make sure that we’re checking that out, too.”
With the exception of linebacker Ben Cutter, defensive coordinator Zac Alley is on track to be working with entirely new personnel and said the fluidity surrounding the 5-for-5 ruling makes it difficult to get a firm grasp on the matter.
“We go one day and everything is this. Three hours later, they clarify. Four hours later, it’s different,” Alley said. “Obviously, I’d love to have guys who are good enough that could be in the system that have before. That’s helpful, but there are other guys out there, too, that I think are eligible … at least right now. Part of our side of things is trying to figure all that out, get clarification and then move whatever with whatever makes the most sense, because it is constantly changing.”
Alley questioned how many past college football players now potentially eligible for a fifth and final season would even be in shape to contribute .
“There’s not as much clarity on if we can even bring those guys in, so that’s part of the challenge, but I don’t think that you couldn’t get them ready to play,” Alley said. “The biggest thing won’t be learning. The biggest thing will be getting them in shape.
“You have guys out there who thought they were done. If you go down the 247 [Sports] page, it’s like this guy owns a Magic Car Wash in San Bernardino. That’s what he’s doing. You have guys that have been out there for six months going to work every day and not training like a football player. So, I worry more about the physical side of saying hey is this guy going to be ready for Week 1? That’s probably tough given the short amount of time more so than being able to learn it.”
An outspoken supporter of the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, Rodriguez is cautiously optimistic more uniformity comes soon to college athletics as a whole. The PCSA is set for a Senate Floor Vote after a cloture was announced Wednesday, with the timing of that announcement potentially quite important as Congress begins its scheduled recess August 7 with the Senate not returning until mid-September.
“We have some solutions in D.C., hopefully that’ll pass,” Rodriguez said. “Our athletic directors have a good grasp on it. Another solution is maybe listen to some coaches and try to do some things the coaches advise. Everybody recognizes the craziness that’s gone on the last couple years.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll get some positive news out of D.C., in the next week or so, or whenever that happens. But we’ll look back at this 10 years from now, because it’s not sustainable, and the chaos we went through. Kind of like the chaos we went through the COVID year, but this even crazier than that in a lot of ways. Just tell us what the rules are so we can know and we can go forward. Right now, there are not a whole lot of rules that everyone is sticking to it doesn’t seem like.”