West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel speaks to the media during a news conference for the Orange Bowl in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011. (AP Photo/Jeffrey M. Boan)

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia and Rich Rodriguez have another staff change ahead of the 2026 season.

Long-time Mountaineers bandits coach Jeff Casteel is retiring and won’t be on staff for 2026. He’s been with WVU the past five seasons, working under both Rodriguez and former head coach Neal Brown.

“I have worked with Jeff for years, and there are very few coaches who have built a better defensive resume,” Rich Rodriguez said in a release. “From his start at Shepherd College, to coordinating the defense here at West Virginia during one of our most successful periods of time and then as we built the program at Arizona, he has been a valuable member of our staff and a good friend. I, along with my staff and players, want to thank him and wish him and his family the best in retirement.”

Casteel was a well-known name in Morgantown. He grew up in Paden City, West Virginia, and started coaching right out of college at California University in Pennsylvania. Casteel started out coaching high school, then spent a season coaching defensive end at UTEP.

In 2001, Casteel joined Rodriguez for the first time when he was with the Mountaineers as a defensive line coach. Casteel had various roles under Rodriguez’s first stint with WVU, and worked his way up to defensive coordinator in 2003. Casteel was with Rodriguez up until he left for Michigan. Casteel helped WVU to multiple bowl game wins and Big East Championships. Casteel’s defense was No. 3 in the nation in total defense in 2010, No. 7 in 2007 and No. 15 in 2005. In 2008, Casteel was named Big East Defensive Coordinator of the Year.

After Rodriguez left for the Wolverines, Casteel stayed on staff until 2011. Rodriguez got the Arizona job, and Casteel joined him as the defensive coordinator in 2012. Casteel spent the whole time with the Wildcats. He helped them to the Pac-12 South Championship in 2014 and multiple bowl appearances, including the Fiesta Bowl.

Once Rodriguez was done at Arizona, Casteel kept coaching at landed at Nevada from 2017-2020, until he rejoined the Mountaineers in 2020 as the outside linebacker coach. He was a defensive analyst for a couple of seasons until Rodriguez returned.

Casteel had coached for 35 years and 27 years as a coordinator.

The Mountaineers recently hired Larry Knight as an Edges/pass rush specialist. Knight came over from Arkansas State, where he was the defensive ends coach and run game coordinator.

The Wolves had 39 sacks last season, tying for first in the Sun Belt Conference and were sixth in the nation with three sacks per game. Knight’s group at nine sacks against Troy, which was the best in the nation in a single game.

“Larry has done an outstanding job of building defensive lines and developing pass rushers who can bring pressure off the edge,” Rodriguez said in a release. “His ability as a lead recruiter at several of his stops brings our program another experienced recruiter. I want to welcome him and his wife, Marquita, to the WVU Football Family.”

Knight also spent time at Georgia Tech, Temple and Georgia State, under various titles. He also spent 2015 with the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive line intern.

This is the third coaching staff change of the offseason. Rodriguez hired Kentucky’s Jay Boulware as the new running backs coach, replacing Larry Porter, who left for Auburn, and he brought back Rick Trickett from Jacksonville State, replacing Jack Bicknell Jr.