The staffing within the AD’s office and in most every sport has increased dramatically since I left in 2013 as have the salaries. I know in football a lot of those increased positions have been to take some of the stuff off the plates of the assistant coaches. I remember some of the assistants actually doing class checks on certain guys because the assistants were responsible to monitor their academic progress. I doubt they do that now. But it does seem to me that the football program is bloated.
Maybe Whit will retire and Scalley will take a 5 year deal for $25 mil. That would save $3mil a year from what Whit is making.
Schlabach: What about West Virginia? The Mountaineers went 9-4 last season, taking the pressure off embattled coach Neal Brown. West Virginia was fourth in the FBS in rushing (228.9 yards) in 2023, and tailback Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson are returning. Quarterback Garrett Greene is mobile and if he improves his accuracy, the offense will be more balanced. West Virginia’s offensive line allowed only 10 sacks last season, fewest in the Big 12. The defense was built on pressure, and the Mountaineers led the league with 33 sacks. Transfer defensive tackle T.J. Jackson (Troy), defensive end Ty French (Gardner-Webb) and cornerbacks TJ Crandall (Colorado State) and Ayden Garnes (Duquesne) should help fill some holes.
Hale: Let’s go off the board and suggest West Virginia could have a moment in 2024. (Schlabach may be on to something.) Remember this time last year when head coach Neal Brown railed against the idiots who picked his team to finish last in the Big 12? Yeah, he may have had a point there. QB Garrett Greene made huge strides and was among the most underrated passers in the country. The defense made strides, and Jahiem White was a revelation as a freshman, averaging close to 8 yards per carry. There’s a lot to like here, and the schedule sets up relatively well, with two of the three biggest tests – Kansas and Kansas State – coming at home. The Big 12 is wide open, and while West Virginia certainly won’t be the trendy pick, it has come a long way from the cellar.
