John Pennington

I’m accountable to you. What I put out there on that field today is not for me, it’s for you. You will never be disappointed in me! #ItStartsAtState #LockedIn

@Malikbaker_ @WvsuFootball 👀

🫣offense looking scary @WvsuFootball

It was a great night to get better at Football! Loved coaching these guys up! #ItStartsAtState #LockedIn

Look who I bumped into last night at our High School Elite Football Camp! Love seeing former players, especially seeing them coach and pour into young athletes! #Twinning #ItStartsAtState #LockedIn

Today’s edition of Wally’s & Wimpy’s is available now! Check out all of the updated WVSSAC regional softball scores, schedules and brackets! Get ready for next week’s regional baseball tournaments with the schedules. Check out Asher Fenton of Wood County Christian, our latest KOMAX Spotlight Student-Athlete! Come out TONIGHT for a special Wally’s & Wimpy’s Night event at Buffalo Wild Wings- Southridge, in Charleston from 6:00 to 7:30 pm for a chance to win some great prizes and meet our special guest John Pennington, head football coach at West Virginia State University and author of Take The Next Step: Leadership, Mental Toughness and Creating a Winning Culture. And much more! Thanks for supporting Wally’s & Wimpy’s for 38 years!

How I Beat the Odds at WVU. A story about self-leadership, discipline, and refusing to quit when things get hard. Appreciate the opportunity to speak with the team at United Bank! The first rule of being a leader is you have to Meet the Standard. As I battled for a spot on WVU’s football team I learned how to Lead myself and Meet the Standard. #LOCKEDIN #Leadership #Mindset

2 Weeks away from our first High School Camp! This is THE best opportunity to get evaluated and get an offer. Love getting to work with guys in-person so we can do how coachable they are and they get to see how we coach and develop! #LockedIn #ItStartsAtState

My new book, "Take The Next Step," is officially live on Amazon. This book is about leadership, culture, and mindset — and the principles I’ve learned as a player at WVU and Head Coach at West Virginia State. If you’re leading a team, building something, or trying to grow personally — this book will give you a practical framework to move forward. Appreciate all the support throughout this process. You can grab it here on Amazon 👉 amazon.com/dp/1956464778 You can also grab a signed copy from my website 👉 coachjohnpennington.com

Field Day is the best day of the year! One of my favorite traditions that we’ve developed as a coaching staff at WVSU is volunteering and helping out at Elementary School Field Days! As a kid, I lived for Field Day at the end of the school year! It was literally my Super Bowl. Practically trained for it at every PE Class 😂 I have so much fun creating competitive games with these kids and their energy is infectious! Thank you Ashley Duggan for allowing me and my staff to volunteer and be a part of Ruthlawn Elementary school’s field day! We loved it! Let us know if we can volunteer again next year. #fielddayfun #servantleadership #itstartsatstate #lockedin

Well deserved! Can’t say enough about this young man and his determination. The definition of #LOCKEDIN Congratulations @DevinCox_dc @WvsuFootball

My new book is available for Pre Sale! I just ordered my first 100 author copies of TAKE THE NEXT STEP This book is about leadership, culture, and mindset - and the lessons I've learned as a player and coach to help people become better leaders. I’m offering signed copies for $9.99 before the official release on May 4. Already had a company reserve 25 copies for a speaking engagement in May - Appreciate the support! Once these are gone, everything moves to Amazon at Full Price If you want a copy, you can reserve yours here 👉 coachjohnpennington.com/shop Appreciate all the support — excited to get share this with you!

WVSU Cares Day 2026! This community has taken care of WVSU for 135 years, so today is about giving back and taking care of our community. #WVSUCARES2026

Our athletic complex will now be known as the Poca Valley Athletic Complex thanks to a new partnership with Poca Valley Bank!

We only get one shot at this. This is what we’ve chosen to do. So why not go all-in? Why not give your absolute best… every single rep? Just do your very best because that’s going to give you the best chance to win. No regrets. No holding back. #LockedIn #NoRegrets #GoAllIn

Spring Game was a huge success! Thank you to Yellow Jacket Nation for all the support and thank you to all the recruits and their families for taking the time to visit! #LockedIn #ItStartsAtState

WVSU Spring Game this Saturday April 11th @ 1pm. Recruits for Saturday, here is our schedule. If you still need to sign up, use the QR code on the Graphic

Two coaches. Two completely different styles. One championship stage. Dan Hurley and Dusty May couldn’t appear more different. Hurley is loud, fiery, and unapologetically intense. He coaches with passion on full display—every possession, every call, every moment. May is calm, measured, and composed. He leads with poise—steady, deliberate, and rarely rattled. One is expressive and animated. The other is reserved and calculated. And yet… both are elite. Both are brilliant tacticians. Both are masterful recruiters. Both have built championship cultures. And most importantly—both LOVE their players… and their players love them right back. That’s the lesson. There is no ONE way to lead. Not in basketball. Not in business. Not in life. Leadership isn’t about copying someone else’s style. It’s about owning your style. Your personality. Your strengths. Your voice. Because authenticity builds trust. And trust builds teams that win. Don’t try to lead like Hurley. Don’t try to lead like May. Lead like you.