Rich Rodriguez talks filling WVU football’s final roster spots, NFL players joining college roster
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MORGANTOWN -- There are just under two weeks until West Virginia football's first game of the season against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 5, so a depth chart is starting to form, and the roster is becoming finalized. Rich Rodriguez still has one or two roster spots open for adding new players.
At the start of camp, Rodriguez was asked about adding class of 2022 players affected by the new 5-for-5 ruling, like some of the other schools. At the time, the court ruling in Colorado, which granted a preliminary injunction for all 2022 athletes and an extra year of eligibility, was in effect, but he was still hesitant to add players. The NCAA won the appeal to that ruling, so now 2022 players who look to join rosters need their own injunction, like the athletes in Louisiana or a couple in West Virginia.
"Right now we just have it on pause,” Rodriguez said.
The Mountaineers announced a few days later that tight end Jacob Barrick and defensive back Jason Chambers were going to utilize the new ruling to rejoin the team. However, Rodriguez clarified Barrick is looking to just coach, but Chambers is looking to play.
During one of his press conferences, Rodriguez came up with the idea of holding walk-on tryouts for the WVU student body to fill the spots. He kept his promise. On Thursday, Aug. 20, the Mountaineers held open tryouts, and Rodriguez said he had 12-15 athletes show up.
"There's some prospects," Rodriguez said. "We’re still discussing it."
Rodriguez joked that the final roster spot could come from a player on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He's referring to the news of Cleveland Browns tight end Dae'Quan Wright signing with LSU at the start of the week. Wright was a 2022 athlete who was affected by the 5-for-5 ruling, and after being waived by the Browns, he wanted to return to college to play for the Tigers and his former coach, Lane Kiffin. Wright originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and was cut, and then was added by Cleveland, where he participated in a preseason game.
This has created a lot of backlash around college football.
Kiffin defended signing NFL players and said other schools are doing the same.
"At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they're either going to play for you, or they're going to play somewhere else around the country,” Kiffin said in a press conference.
Rodriguez sees Kiffin's point of view, but he still thinks it’s crazy that players who signed NFL contracts can play in college football.
"I mean, what are we doing here?" Rodriguez said. "It kind of boggles my mind."
With the commotion of professional athletes coming back to college and the season days away, the SEC and Big Ten both released statements, and a new conference-wide ruling that prohibits professional athletes from coming back to college. Notre Dame aligns with the views of both conferences, and the ACC is expected to meet in the coming days about the situation. The Big 12 has yet to make a statement.
Rodriguez thinks it'll be up to the conferences to take action like they already have.
"I think all the conferences should say you can't do it," Rodriguez said. "Doesn't the conference dictate if a guy has targeting and has to sit out? They make some kind of rule. If a guy violates some kind of thing, the conference can make you sit out a game, or whatever it is, half a game... I don’t know if that’ll stand up in court. I don’t know the legalities of it."
In regard to what WVU will do with the final roster spots, Rodriguez is leaving his options open. Whether that's from a walk-on, a player in the transfer portal still, or even from up the block at the Steelers, it remains to be seen in the ever-changing world of college athletics.
"I like coach Mike (McCarthy)," Rodriguez said. "Maybe I have to give coach McCarthy a call. Say, 'Hey, can you give me a heads up on anybody who might be coming back?' We’re kind of on hold. Not just for that reason, but that’s one of the reasons."