West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez went to a place where President Donald Trump refused to go: He banned TikTok .

Rodriguez’s concern about TikTok doesn’t center on the Chinese government spying on American citizens . Instead, he’s worried about dancing. He won’t tolerate his players busting a move on social media.

Rodriguez didn't ban TikTok entirely for his team, but he demands that they not record dance videos on the social media app popular with young people.

Because, you know, how could West Virginia possibly improve on last season’s 6-7 record if they’re shimmying on camera in their free time?

“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,” Rodriguez told reporters, in explanation of his decision.

I’m not sure what qualifies as “a hard edge,” but I wonder whether Nick Saban lost his “hard edge” around the time he danced the Cupid Shuffle .

Rodriguez might be better served by banning blown coverages. The Mountaineers were hampered last season by one of the nation’s worst pass defenses.

Rodriguez’s quote about “a hard edge” reminds me of when basketball coach Bobby Knight sounded off on the concept of putting on your “game face.”

“In my entire adult life, I’ve never used the expression ‘game face.’ I have no (expletive) idea what it means or what you’re supposed (to do),” Knight once told reporters, before mockingly screwing his face into a series of odd expressions.

“A hard edge” and “game face” sound like mumbo jumbo to my untrained eye, but Rodriguez has a bead on it. Anyway, he’s the coach, and his players will listen to him, dagnabbit!

“I'm allowed to (ban TikTok dancing), I guess,” Rodriguez said. “I can have rules. Like I said, 20 years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in their basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTiok or whatever the hell, they can go at it.

“Smoking cannabis, whatever. I mean, knock yourself out. Hopefully our focus can be on winning football games. How about let's win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok."

Rodriguez, hired in December to ignite the Mountaineers, previously led the program to its best run of success in the past 70 years when West Virginia competed in the Big East. Most recently, he led Jacksonville State to three straight nine-win seasons.

He's undoubtedly accomplished, but, these comments about TikTok dancing and eating Cheetos in the basement come off as a parody of a 61-year-old football coach from West Virginia, although I must admit I neither use TikTok nor smoke cannabis. And I don’t care much for Cheetos. So, maybe that makes me old-fashioned, too.

I did, however, see a video last season of Boise State’s star running back Ashton Jeanty dancing in a hotel hallway with his teammates.

Imagine how many more yards Jeanty could have rushed for if he didn’t surrender his “hard edge.”

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at and follow him on X @btoppmeyer . Subscribe to read all of his column s.