WVU’s Baker cautious on 2025 as Rodriguez’s return launches amid major roster turnover
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia athletics director Wren Baker says he’s still unsure what to expect from the Mountaineers in 2025, eight months after landing Rich Rodriguez to lead the football program. With Rodriguez’s second tenure beginning and more than 70 new players, plus an entirely rebuilt coaching staff, Baker is approaching the upcoming season with a focus on foundational elements rather than specific win-loss predictions.
“From my history, I don’t think I’ve ever put an expectation out there in terms of wins and losses, especially for a first-year head coach,” Baker said. He emphasized that the goal in Year 1 is to establish culture, build a foundation, and create momentum entering Year 2. “It’s been fun to work with coach Rodriguez. He’s very calculated in just about everything he does with this team. I’m confident in where we’re going. I wish I could say I know where we’re at right now, but with 75 new players, I don’t know that anybody does. That’s probably a record number of new players.”
Nationally, expectations are modest. WVU isn’t ranked or receiving votes in the major polls, and oddsmakers project around five wins. In the tougher Big 12 landscape, where Arizona State won the league in 2024 despite being picked last in 2025 preseason discussions, WVU’s position is poised to be a talking point as the season nears.
Baker said the job for Rodriguez’s staff is to quickly analyze each player’s skill set, acclimate them to the culture, and fit the pieces together for success. He noted the intensity of the offseason grind, pointing to long hours at the Milan Puskar Team Center and the visible energy around campus as signs of commitment. “The cars in this lot are here at daylight and here at dark, and I drive by here all the time,” he said. “We’re establishing culture, that the young men in our program represent us the way we want to be represented and that they play hard and care about WVU. At the end of the year, we want to have something to build on and continue to create momentum.”
Fan enthusiasm is measurable as well. Baker announced WVU had sold 33,208 season tickets as of that morning, up about 5,000 from the previous year, and more than 9,500 new season-ticket holders. He described the numbers as a sign of excitement surrounding Rodriguez’s return, even though the 2007 departure remains a point of nostalgia for some fans.
On the field, WVU’s non-conference slate is unusually light on Power Five competition, a strategic choice with a roster in flux. After the season opener against Robert Morris, the Mountaineers travel to Ohio before hosting Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl—an arrangement that could yield early benchmarks while Rodriguez and his staff continue to assemble the program’s identity.
For Baker, the evaluation will extend beyond wins and losses. He’s tracking a broad set of indicators, from Mountaineer Athletic Club donations and ticket sales to caravan attendance and social media impressions. He shared an anecdote about a delivery driver who recognized his name and asked whether he had renewed his MAC membership or bought season tickets, underscoring the intangible measure of engagement. “It’s big data we collect and assess, but it’s also the feel when you’re out and about talking to people,” he said. “It’s all of those things that you’re kind of assessing.”
What this means going forward is that WVU faces a season of potential upside built on culture and momentum rather than a predictable trajectory. Rodriguez’s experience, combined with Baker’s data-driven, people-centric approach, could turn a high-turnover year into a springboard for the program’s long-term direction.
Summary: WVU athletics chief Wren Baker describes an unprecedented roster rebuild and a culture-first approach as Rich Rodriguez returns. With a cautiously optimistic fan base reflected in rising season-ticket numbers and a tightly managed non-conference schedule, the Mountaineers aim to establish momentum for 2025 while navigating an unpredictable Big 12.
Additional notes for readers:
– Watch how quickly the new staff builds cohesion and how the early non-conference results influence national perception.
– Pay attention to MAC donations and fan engagement metrics, which Baker views as key early indicators of long-term support.
– The Backyard Brawl against Pitt will serve as a meaningful early test for the program’s culture and competitive identity.
Overall, the article paints a hopeful picture: a bold coaching reunion paired with a large-scale roster rebuild, driven by culture, fan engagement, and strategic scheduling, could position WVU for meaningful progress in 2025 and beyond.