by: Brandon Walker
Rich Rodriguez on Practicing a Championship Mindset
As spring practice approaches, players and coaches often discuss the difficulty of winning games
in college sports, especially in a Power Four conference like the Big 12. West Virginia has not
won a conference championship since 2011, their final year in the Big East. Their best finish since joining the Big 12 a year later was a second-place tie with Oklahoma State in 2016. That was also the last ten-win season and came under head coach, Dana Holgerson.
After Thursday’s practice, West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez, spoke about
emphasizing that players bring their best foot forward regardless of whether or not they are feeling at
their best physically.
“When you are talking about reps in practice, I’m talking about going against another guy in a
different color jersey; I’m not used to being non-competitive in those reps, whether you are live
or thud,” Rodriguez said. “One-on-ones, whatever it is, I’m not saying it’s the end of the world if
you lose a rep, but it ought to bother you a little bit. It ought to bother you as a coach. It bothers
the hell out of me. It bothers me until the next practice.”
Rodriguez also emphasizes that players should continue the trajectory to improve and that lack of
toughness and complacency will not be tolerated by coaches, staff, donors, boosters, or fans. He
believes that playing hard and playing tough is non-negotiable.
“There are a lot of things we’ve got to work on and a lot of things we’ve got to get better at, but
the thing that’s non-negotiable is playing hard and playing tough. You cannot be soft and lazy. I
don’t want one person to buy a season ticket to a Mountaineer game and sit in those stands and
watch somebody be soft or somebody be lazy. Not one fan, because they can see that if they’re
doing that,” Rodriguez said.
“So, if there is one guy on our team that is soft or one guy on our team that is lazy, he’s got to
change that, or he can’t play for the Mountaineers. Their version of it, and even the staff’s version
of it and mine, aren’t exactly the same all the time.”
Rodney Gallagher on Coach Rodriguez’s Meaning of Hard Work
Junior wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III, who has been in the program for two seasons, has
been impressed by Rodriguez’s teachings about confidence and the importance of striving for improvement in every step of the process. He believes that Rodriguez has taught him a different
outlook and appreciates his honesty in striving to be a better team when he spoke after
Thursday’s practice.
“I think I do have a different … How can I say this? I think with me looking at it, Rich Rod has
taught me a lot about having confidence and looking toward the future of how to be a better
player,” Gallagher said. “With him being honest every single day and striving to be a better team,
I think that’s given me a different outlook, and I just appreciate him for that.”
Gallagher also revealed a phrase that Rodriguez loves to instill in his team:
“The hard edge and having the mindset of us wanting to be great and knowing that we can
compete with anybody in the country.” Rodriguez frequently uses the term “hard edge” to
describe the importance of going out there with confidence and playing hard. If the team
has more effort and is mentally locked in at all times, they believe they will be
super-special in the Big 12.
