Rich Rodriguez and his staff return for their second season in Morgantown after a 4-8 (2-7 Big 12) campaign. The Mountaineers must settle a quarterback battle between Michael Hawkins, who comes over from Oklahoma, and Scotty Fox. Jacksonville State transfer Cam Cook will take over at running back, and the Mountaineers are high on freshman Amari Latimer. The top 10 targets at receiver from a season ago are gone. West Virginia is happy to get Jaden Bray back from injury last year and welcome in Troy transfer DJ Epps. The offensive line returns just one starter from a year ago: Nick Krahe, and will need to find a competitive starting combination if they want to compete in conference play.

Zac Alley is back for his second season as defensive coordinator, but the defense faces massive turnover. The top five tacklers from a season ago are no longer with the program. The Mountaineers return just 1 of their top 11 tacklers from last year in Ben Cutter. Joining Cutter at linebacker is Illinois transfer Malachi Hood. The defensive line will break in new starters, and the same goes for the secondary.

Special teams coordinator Pat Kirkland will be responsible for breaking in a new field goal kicker, new punter, new punter returner, and a new kick returner. West Virginia faces astronomical roster turnover on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Progress will depend on how quickly the new combinations — especially at quarterback and along both lines — come together.