West Virginia’s top programs saw major coaching changes ahead of the 2025-2026 athletic year, but the Mountaineers’ most impactful coach may be the man who has stuck around.
Mark Kellogg has held the title of head coach since taking the post in 2005 at Fort Lewis College. Since then, he has found himself across the country, with time at Northwest Missouri State and West Texas A&M before spending eight seasons at Stephen F. Austin, where his Lumberjacks won 195 of Kellogg’s 250 games as head coach.
When Kellogg landed at WVU in 2023, his Big 12 debut was an immediate success, as he coached the Mountaineers to back-to-back 25-win seasons. He did so in a way that was familiar to Mountaineer fans – emphasizing aggressive full-court defense – while shocking the nation.
Both of Kellogg’s Mountaineer teams led the Big 12 in forcing turnovers, averaging 23.6 in 2024 and 23.5 last season. Last season, WVU averaged 13.6 steals per game as a team, ranking second across the entire NCAA behind Montana State. The Mountaineers were also the only team to have two players, JJ Quinerly and Kyah Watson, average over three steals per game.
In 2024, WVU held the Big 12’s top four spots in steals per game, as Quinerly and guard Jordan Harrison averaged 2.9 per game, Watson averaged 2.4, and forward Lauren Fields averaged 2.3.
Kellogg coached WVU to the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons at the helm, barely falling to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2024 and to North Carolina last season, both in the second round.
WVU women’s basketball head coach Mark Kellogg yelling during the 2025 NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. (WVSN photo by Cody Nespor)
With his unique coaching style and quick adaption in the Power Five, Kellogg could be in the conversation as one of the top coaches in women’s college basketball. The only question is, “how much more can he accomplish this year?”
Mark Kellogg’s West Virginia Mountaineers tip-off their 2025-2026 campaign at 7 p.m. on Monday against Purdue Fort Wayne at the Hope Coliseum.
Find more coverage of WVU women’s basketball at Blue Gold Sports.
