West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez brought a total of five players with him from his previous stop at Jacksonville State, and there are several benefits to that.
One is simply the familiarity of knowing what those players bring to the table at their respective positions and there’s another that is perhaps the most advantageous.
“They kind of know the terminology more than anything else,” Rodriguez said.
That’s critical with any coaching change, but especially one where the bulk of the roster is unproven, with only a handful of players with any starting experience on either side of the ball.
Football isn’t an overly complicated game as most coaches share many of the same techniques but where things differ is in regard to the terminology, scheme and how they call it. That makes having those players who already have experienced it, understand it and can pass it on to those around them key during any transition.
The Mountaineers were able to reel in wide receivers Cam Vaughn and Jarod Bowie, tight end Jacob Barrick and defensive backs Fred Perry and Derek Carter from the Gamecocks.
The football program also features two players who left the Jacksonville State program the year prior to Rodriguez's arrival in safety Keke Tarnue and offensive lineman Xavier Bausley.
So, there’s a solid base to work with from that standpoint.
Playing under Rodriguez there is another added benefit as well. He’s known to get quite animated on the sideline and those players can share their experiences with the new ones on how he handles his business.
“If I yell at them, the guys from Jax State, every one of those has been yelled at and probably quite a bit,” Rodriguez said.
The intent is for players not to be selective in what they choose to listen to and understand that Rodriguez is delivering a message each time he addresses them.
“They got to listen to all of it,” he said. “They’re going to play and we’re going to coach.”
But there is a method to the madness as Rodriguez wants his players not only to give their undivided attention but to understand what he wants out of his football teams. That means not being soft or lazy while approaching every single rep with a competitive mindset in practice, whether it’s live or thud.
“I’m not used to reps in practice being non-competitive,” Rodriguez said.
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