With the season winding down, the West Virginia Mountaineers are looking to get their key players and other youngsters who they believe can contribute in the future locked into new deals.

WVU's front office is making progress on that front, and according to head coach Rich Rodriguez, some players have already verbally agreed to stay in Morgantown.

“I understand why a lot of programs want to wait until the end of the regular season, but because the signing date is the following week and the month after that is the portal, everything happens so quickly that we’re trying to get some of that done, particularly with the personnel staff that we have," Rodriguez said. "There’s been a couple; there’s been a few that have already agreed, I don’t know if they’ve signed yet to a contract for next year, so I don’t want to release any names until we get the majority of them.”

A couple of updates on key guys

A source tells West Virginia On SI that QB Mike Hawkins Jr. and his brother, Maliek, are not among the players who have verbally agreed to a new deal, but healthy discussions between WVU and their representation are still ongoing. These talks have been happening for much of the season, so West Virginia is well aware of what it will take to reach an agreement. Interest from both sides remains strong, and there is still a chance that something could get done before the end of the season.

The Mountaineers are also hoping to lock in running back Cam Cook, who has the option to return for a fifth season if he decides against turning pro. It's not necessarily a surprise, but many fans may not realize that Cook has another year of eligibility available, while others might assume he's a lock to head to the NFL after this season. The expectation is that Cook will seek feedback from the NFL before making a decision.

As far as others on the roster, it's quite simple.

“We have two slogans that we kind of go by: Hard Edge and Earned Success," said Rodriguez during his press conference on Tuesday. "If you have earned success and have more years to play, obviously we’re going to try to do what we can to retain you. If you haven’t earned success, but we think you have the capability to do it, we’re going to try to get you back. You don’t want to reward somebody if they haven’t earned success yet. We’re having those discussions every day with the staff, and then discussions are going on with some of the players to, as we speak."

Some important dates for you to keep in mind: the transfer portal will open on January 4th and close on January 10th. This is the only time a player can enter the portal and once they are in, they can sign with a new school whenever, including beyond the closing of the portal.