Second stint West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has revealed that he has banned his football players from TikTok dancing, saying that is not the image of the program he wants as the teams heads into the season.
Rodriguez made it clear that he is not banning his players from being on the platform but he doesn’t want to see his squad focused on making dancing videos. He believes that excessive time spent on creating these videos could distract the players from their training and preparation for games, potentially affecting their performance on the field.
‘They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,’ Rodriguez said Monday, showing his understanding of the players’ social media habits. ‘I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.’
The popular social media app was launched in 2016 and allows users to create, watch, and share short videos. It has become a platform for viral dance trends. Many users, including football players like Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, have shared videos of themselves dancing on the platform.
‘I hope our focus can be on winning football games. How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?’ Rodriguez said in the press conference, reaffirming his dedication to the team’s performance.
When does the 2025 college football start?
The 2025 college football season will begin on Saturday, August 23, 2025, with ‘Week Zero’ games, featuring eight matchups:
- Aer Lingus College Football Classic:Iowa State vs. Kansas State (in Dublin, Ireland)
- Stanford at Hawaii
- Fresno State at Kansas
- Sam Houston at Western Kentucky
- UC Davis vs. Mercer
- Southern vs. North Carolina Central
- Tarleton State at Portland State
- UIW at Nicholls
The following week, Week 1, will commence with most games scheduled for Saturday, August 30, coinciding with Labor Day weekend.