GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Glenville State Football completed their first week of spring ball last Wednesday and new head coach Jake Casteel has been pleasantly surprised with the Pioneers through not just the first four practices of spring, but the winter as well.
 
"You're bringing a lot of different personalities from all different backgrounds together and I've been surprised at how well those guys have come together as a team and gotten to know each other," said Casteel on The Jake Casteel Show. The new staff brought in over 30 players at the mid-year and currently sit at nearly 80 players for the spring. "I feel like we've gotten pretty close through the winter workouts and now getting into spring ball."
 
It's not a world Coach Casteel says he wants to live in with over 30 transfers before the spring starts, but with a roster turnover expected to be outweighed with newcomers over returners after freshman report for fall camp, it's something that the staff and players are adapting to. "You really wouldn't know at this point who's been here for 2-3 years and who's been here for 2-3 months."
 
Much like any coach in the country, Casteel feels they're not where they want to be right now, which especially with a brand new staff is expected, but he's liking what he's seeing thus far. "I've been pleased with how they work. I think we have a lot of tough kids and they're playing hard for the most part. We can still improve that."
 
As the son of a longtime Division I assistant and now a part of the coaching tree of former Glenville State and current West Virginia head coach, Rich Rodriguez, Casteel knows what playing hard, being tough and coachable players looks like. "The one thing I wanted is tough, physical and take coaching, which I've been very pleased with how they've done that."
 
With a roster that's likely to have near or over 70 newcomers, what the 2026 Pioneer football team looks like won't be decided until August. "We're just letting guys battle, putting the ball down and let them play to see who can make some plays for us and who we can trust." A spring depth chart allows the coaches to know where the program sits four months away from fall camp, but much more work is still to be done. "I'm not going to put a whole lot of weight on a spring ball depth chart. The one that is the most important is leading into the first game…we still have the summer and fall camp and the roster will look a little different by then too."
 
It's been a long four months since Glenville State University announced Jake Casteel as the program's 26^th head coach on December 8^th, 2025, and Casteel couldn't be more happy to finally be coaching his team this spring. "It's been awesome. It's the best part of my day." Casteel and his staff have spent the majority of their time at GSU on the road or hosting recruits on visits, so it's been a nice change of pace for everyone involved. "It's been refreshing because the recruiting's a huge part of the job and I enjoy the recruiting part as well, but being on the field, coaching football and being with the team is why you love the game and made you want to coach."
 
Fans can get their first look at the 2026 Glenville State team at the annual blue vs. white Spring Game on Saturday, April 25^th at the currently under-construction Morris Family Health & Fitness Complex.
 
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