Top 5 Head Coaching Candidates for West Virginia Football

5. Jake Dickert - Washington State Head Coach

If West Virginia strikes out on their primary targets, there is at least cursory interest in Washington State’s Jake Dickert. The Cougars had an outstanding season before a late-season swoon, but their offense was fun. Dickert spent a lot of time at North Dakota State and Wyoming and learned under Craig Bohl. There are no apparent connections to the Morgantown area. Still, the Cougars went 8-4 and throttled Arizona State, Arizona, and Washington by a combined 64 points despite not belonging to a major conference this season. Names like Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban were floated as dream candidates, but both have been shot down as “absolutely not happening,” according to sources connected to both.

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2. Andy Kotelnicki - Penn State Offensive Coordinator

If West Virginia looks beyond the current head coaching ranks, Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki makes a ton of sense. The 43-year-old is the orchestrator of a PSU offense that just put on a show against the Oregon Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game, and he has experience in the Big 12 as the OC for Lance Leipold at Kansas. Kotelnicki does not have head coaching experience, but he’ll be a head coach sooner or later. The biggest issue is probably the timing. Penn State is in the College Football Playoff with a real chance to make a run, and West Virginia probably cannot afford to wait for him to be available.

1st Round CFP: Penn State (-7.5) vs. SMU

3. Jon Sumrall - Tulane Head Coach

The hottest Group of Five head coach on the market is Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. He has attracted significant interest from North Carolina and would be the frontrunner for the Kentucky job if that position becomes available at any point. Sumrall is 42 years old, and after a great stint at Troy, he led the Green Wave to a berth in the American Athletic Conference title game (a loss to Army). It would be a surprise if he were overly interested in the West Virginia position, given the other jobs that could be available to him.

4. Jamey Chadwell - Liberty Head Coach

The allure of Jamey Chadwell is not quite as bright as it was in 2023, but the Liberty head coach is still an excellent candidate. He has a career record of 119-61 and is now 21-4 in two seasons at Liberty. Chadwell’s teams have been good on offense at every one of his stops (North Greenville, Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, and Liberty). Still, he has spent most of his career in the Carolinas and seems more comfortable in the South. Chadwell would be a nice get for the Mountaineers. However, he appears to be the frontrunner for the open UCF head coaching position, and several of his players have already hit the portal, seemingly in anticipation of a move from Chadwell.

5. Jake Dickert - Washington State Head Coach

If West Virginia strikes out on their primary targets, there is at least cursory interest in Washington State’s Jake Dickert. The Cougars had an outstanding season before a late-season swoon, but their offense was fun. Dickert spent a lot of time at North Dakota State and Wyoming and learned under Craig Bohl. There are no apparent connections to the Morgantown area. Still, the Cougars went 8-4 and throttled Arizona State, Arizona, and Washington by a combined 64 points despite not belonging to a major conference this season. Names like Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban were floated as dream candidates, but both have been shot down as “absolutely not happening,” according to sources connected to both.

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