Rod West is the cornerbacks coach for the West Virginia University football program in Morgantown, West Virginia, and 2026 marks his second season on the Mountaineer staff. In his first year at WVU in 2025, West Virginia's defense ranked among the national leaders in several categories, including tackles for loss, fumbles recovered, turnovers gained, and sacks.
West joined West Virginia in 2025 after four seasons at Appalachian State, where he coached cornerbacks and added defensive passing game coordinator duties in 2022. While at App State, he was part of staffs that won two Sun Belt East Division titles and beat No. 6 Texas A&M in 2022. His cornerbacks earned major recognition there, including Tyrek Funderburk, an All-American second-team selection by Action Network and an All-Sun Belt first-team pick in 2023, and Ethan Johnson, who was named All-Sun Belt second team the same year. Earlier in his App State tenure, Steven Jones Jr. was a first-team All-American and an All-Sun Belt first-team honoree in 2021, while Shaun Jolly also received first-team all-conference recognition. App State finished among the national leaders in interceptions that season, and Jones tied for the FBS regular-season lead with five picks, three of which were returned for touchdowns. In 2024, the App State defense also ranked highly in fourth-down defense, fumbles recovered, and first-down defense. West's rise in the profession was recognized when he was named to the AFCA 35 Under 35 list in 2021.
