MORGANTOWN — West Virginia football has made a change of leadership for the offensive line coach.

Current offensive line coach Jack Bicknell won’t have his contract renewed for the 2026 season, and Rick Trickett, who was reported to join the staff, will take over as the full-time coach.

“Rick and I have been in the trenches together for many years, and he knows our offense very well and what we need to do to be successful,” Rich Rodriguez said in a statement. “The experience he brings to our program will be invaluable, and I know that returning to his home state and WVU was an important factor for him.”

Bicknell was with Rodriguez for one year after spending two years as Wisconsin’s O-line coach. Bicknell was a seasoned veteran, working in the NFL with the New York Giants, winning a Super Bowl, and with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins. He also coached multiple high-level college programs, including at Ole Miss, where he coached alongside Rodriguez.

Bicknell’s offensive line struggled in 2025 at WVU. The line allowed the second-most sacks in the Big 12 (31) for a loss of 172 yards. Rodriguez knew the offensive line was an issue, too, and had the quarterbacks roll out most of the time to take that aspect away from the play. However, WVU’s line had some strong showings, especially against Houston, where the Mountaineers marched down the field against a tough Cougars’ front.

Rodriguez might’ve seen enough, and the last showing against Texas Tech definitely leaves a lasting impression. Against a top Red Raiders defense, the line allowed four sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Bicknell had a big challenge heading into the season. Most of the line was made up of transfers, so a lot of the players hadn’t played together, making it hard to work as a unit.

Bicknell has been replaced by Trickett, who was reported to join the staff, but didn’t know in what aspect. Most assumed the long-time offensive line coach, who just came over from Jacksonville State, would be helping with the line, but nothing was official until now.

Trickett was WVU’s offensive line coach during Rodriguez’s first time as the head coach in 2001. Trickett left in 2006 for Florida State, where he was until 2017. Trickett coached multiple all-conference linemen and NFL players during his time with the Seminoles. Trickett rejoined Rodriguez when he was at Jacksonville State. Trickett’s a very experienced line coach, coaching for almost 50 years.

Trickett joins his son, Travis, who is an offensive assistant on the team. Rick coached newly added WVU 4-star signee Kevin Brown’s father, Tim Brown, from 2001 to 2004.

This is Rodriguez’s second position coach hire after the 2025 season concluded. Running backs coach Larry Porter left for the Auburn RB job. Former Kentucky RB coach Jay Boulware was recently announced to take his place.