An old image of Lamar Jackson has given West Virginia fans an opportunity to revisit one of the most fascinating “what ifs” in recent Mountaineers history.
A recruiting-era photo of Jackson posing with a letter from West Virginia has resurfaced on social media, showing the future Heisman Trophy winner long before he became one of football’s biggest stars.
Jackson ultimately chose Louisville instead of WVU, but the image has generated renewed discussion among Mountaineers fans about what could have happened had the dynamic quarterback ended up in Morgantown.
“Would fit our current scheme perfect,” one Instagram user commented.
That reaction is particularly interesting in 2026. Rich Rodriguez has rebuilt West Virginia around an offense that once again places considerable pressure on defenses with the quarterback run game, making the thought of Jackson operating a Rodriguez-style system an almost unfair hypothetical.
WVU Really Did Recruit Lamar Jackson
The connection between Jackson and West Virginia went beyond him simply posing with all his letters, including the one from WVU.
ESPN reported in 2016 that then-West Virginia assistant JaJuan Seider, who recruited South Florida for the Mountaineers, “pushed hard” for Jackson. However, WVU already had early quarterback commitments, and Jackson’s recruitment to West Virginia ultimately never materialized.
Jackson committed to Louisville in August 2014 after receiving interest from a lengthy list of major programs that included West Virginia. What happened afterward turned him into one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks college football has ever seen.
Jackson won the 2016 Heisman Trophy after accumulating 4,928 yards of total offense and 51 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. His 1,538 rushing yards remain the most ever by a Heisman-winning quarterback.
Lamar Jackson Creates Fascinating Rich Rodriguez ‘What If?’
Jackson obviously never had an opportunity to play for Rodriguez at West Virginia. Rodriguez was coaching Arizona when Jackson entered college, making the modern-day pairing purely hypothetical.
Still, the resurfaced picture feels particularly timely because of what Rodriguez is building in Morgantown now. Oklahoma transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. has already rushed for 199 yards through WVU’s first two games of 2026, while West Virginia has generated nearly 64% of its total offense on the ground.
Rodriguez has never hidden how much he values a dynamic quarterback, either.
“You don’t need a wide menu of things if you have a really dynamic quarterback, whether it’s in the run game, pass game, or hopefully both,” Rodriguez said in August.
Few quarterbacks in college football history better fit that description than Jackson. There is no way of knowing whether Jackson would have become a Heisman winner at WVU, much less whether West Virginia could have competed for a national championship with him, but imagining Jackson’s explosiveness inside a Rodriguez offense is enough to make the old recruiting photo sting a little more.
More than a decade later, Mountaineers fans are left with one of college football’s simplest and most entertaining questions: What if?
Lamar Jackson WVU Photo Resurfaces, Has Mountaineers Fans Wondering ‘What If?’