Pat McAfee makes passionate pitch to transfer portal prospects to commit to West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez

Pat McAfee made a passionate pitch to all transfer portal prospects to consider West Virginia now that Rich Rodriguez has returned to Morgantown. McAfee did this move during the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

Rodriguez served as the Mountaineers’ head coach from 2001 until 2007 and will replace Neal Brown, who held the position for the past six seasons. McAfee is a major fan of Rodriguez’s return, as he was his coach during his time with West Virginia, and he believes he can turn the program into a contender in a jiffy.

“[Rodriguez] said, ‘I’m a better coach now than I was last week, I’m a better coach now than I was 20 years ago.’ I think he has changed his coaching style. He’s still in there, though. Whenever he saw those dudes lounging — if you’re a lounging guy, just lounging, okay? This might not be the place for you,” McAfee started. “If you want to sit up and get eager to get after somebody’s ass, this is the spot for you. If you want to win, this is the spot for you.

“So, I would like to make a public declaration to all the dudes entering the transfer portal, or all the high school recruits — I didn’t tell Rich I was going to do this, or anybody, and nobody really tells me what I can or can’t do, which is a pretty cool thing, to be able to do that. If you’re a dawg, okay? If you work your ass off, if you love ball, if you’re going to be able to stay eligible, okay? Need to do the classes. ARich Rodriguez team is the team for you. He’s going to ask more out of you. The weight room is going to be tough. The meetings are going to be tough. The practices are going to be tough. But the lessons that he’s going to drop into your life are going to carry you forever.

“I was watching that meeting yesterday, and it’s the attention to detail that has helped me when I became a pro in the NFL, helped me whenever I started running my own business — I thought about the things that Rich Rodriguez told me, whenever I was 18, 19, or 20 years old. Maybe the lessons didn’t hit at the time, but they went for the rest of my life. I’d be honored if my kid chose to play for Coach Rod, and I think if you’re a dawg and want to become the best version of you, I think you come right here to West Virginia.

“We got money. We got a path to the college football playoff. And we got an absolute dawg as a head coach who wants to make it right.”

Alas, Rodriguez won 60 games compared to 26 losses during his first tenure, leading the Mountaineers to three 10-win seasons in a row during his tenure. Time will tell if Pat McAfee’s plea works, but West Virginia seems to be on the rise regardless.