It will be a homecoming for West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez on Saturday, when the Mountaineers and Robert Morris kick off the season against each other in Morgantown, W. Va.
Rodriguez, a West Virginia graduate, returned to the school in December, after spending the last two seasons as the head coach at Jacksonville State. He also served as West Virginia’s head coach from 2001-07. The Mountaineers had a 60-26 record during those seven seasons and won the Big East Conference championship four times.
West Virginia must replace most of its offensive production from last season, but junior running back Jahiem White is among the returning pieces. He rushed for 845 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore.
Defensive end Jimmori Robinson, a transfer from UTSA, is one of four West Virginia players who challenged the NCAA’s eligibility rules and was ruled eligible by a federal judge on Aug. 20.
Running back Tye Edwards, safety Justin Harrington and wide receiver Jeffery Weimer are the three other players who were ruled eligible, but the NCAA has reportedly appealed the court ruling. Robinson was the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season.
“We have our general counsel that’s working with the NCAA and the Big 12 and our compliance department to make sure we’re interpreting the judge’s order correctly,” Rodriguez said Tuesday. “Obviously the order was favorable to those guys being able to play, but they’re still discussing that. Jimmori has not practiced, but the other three are practicing.”
Robert Morris, an FCS program, was picked to finish third in the Northeast Conference Preseason Poll. The Colonials have six new coaches on staff, including a first-year offensive coordinator and a first-year defensive coordinator.
Junior Zach Tanner has been named the starting quarterback after throwing for just 453 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions last season.
“We lost 30 guys, maybe 40 guys between the transfer portal and graduation,” Robert Morris coach Bernard Clark Jr. said. “We have a lot of new moving parts. Obviously we open up with a monster, but at the same time it also gives us a barometer.”
