Pat McAfee calls Darian DeVries 'public enemy number one'

Darien DeVries was announced as the next head coach at Indiana on Tuesday following just one season at West Virginia, and now considered “public enemy No. 1” in Morgantown, according to WVU alumnus and ESPN analyst Pat McAfee.

“I’m going to say this: (DeVries) is maybe public enemy No. 1 right now in West Virginia,” McAfee said during Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. “(North Carolina AD) Bubba Cunningham kind of got dropped down a bit. DeVries is now public enemy No. 1. That’s going to happen This guy became the head coach at West Virginia less than a year ago, I met him at Rich Rod(riguez)’s press conference. He’s a cool dude. He was a good conversation. Thought he was going to do some special things at West Virginia.

Darian DeVries is public enemy number one in West Virginia right now..

He's a really good basketball coach which is why EVERYBODY in West Virginia is so mad #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6tbiybTs7t

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 19, 2025

“And obviously with his saying it’d take something special to leave Drake and go to West Virginia in his opening press conference, and talking about building something special and all that type of stuff, and then leaving after one year. Especially with what just happened with the NCAA (Tournament) to the West Virginia basketball team, and with how West Virginia people are feeling to begin with. Not very well-received in the state of West Virginia. And Governor (Patrick) Morrissey is thinking about suing. You know, maybe (include) Indiana for tampering. … There were stories and agendas being pushed last night from the West Virginia people that are making this guy the enemy. This DeVries guy is an enemy in West Virginia.”

DeVries replaces Mike Woodson, who led the program for four seasons but, in February, announced he would be stepping away from the role at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. This move comes after the selection committee’s controversial decision to leave West Virginia (19-13, 10-10 Big 12) out of the 2025 NCAA Tournament field as the “First Team Out” on Selection Sunday, elevating North Carolina as the “Last Team In.”

Darian DeVries leaves West Virginia days after controversial NCAA Tournament snub

West Virginia burst out the starting gates this season, picking up wins over Gonzaga and Arizona before December. However, disaster struck when Tucker DeVries, Darian’s son, was forced to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

Tucker DeVries was averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from beyond the field and a jaw-dropping 47.3% from beyond the arc. His injury was a major setback to West Virginia’s hot start.

Nevertheless, despite finishing the season with six Quad 1 wins, the Mountaineers were left out of the 68-team NCAA Tournament field, with some experts describing it as the biggest snub of the selection process. West Virginia’s governor even announced he will be launching an investigation into the selection committee’s decision-making process and even floated the idea of a lawsuit.

“With that being said, this guy is a really good ball coach, which is why everybody in West Virginia is so mad,” McAfee continued. “The West Virginia basketball situation has been a revolving door. So to even be in a position to potentially get screwed as the biggest snub in the history of the tournament, I think West Virginia people were like, ‘this is going in the right direction with the right guy.’

“So the reason they hate him so bad is because of how good of a coach he is. And the more you think about it, especially with his boy coming down here (to Indiana), still has a year of eligibility, didn’t play a lot this year, people are talking a lot about that. … You think about the way he coaches, the way he operates, the way he talks, I think Indiana fans are really going to like this guy.”

— On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.