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The West Virginia football program is looking for a new head coach. And they might be getting old head coach Rich Rodriguez to fill the role.
Following the firing of Neal Brown, the Mountaineers embarked on a head-coaching search. While a proven head coach is always desired, Rodriguez's proof includes a polarizing end to his tenure in Morgantown.
Nonetheless, Rodriguez, currently the head coach of Jacksonville State, is one of the top names to succeed Brown.
“Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez is in mix for West Virginia job, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ,” according to college football reporter Brett McMurphy. “Rodriguez, who was WVU's coach from 2001-07, is not the clear-cut favorite but among leading candidates, source said.”
Could Rich Rodriguez return to coach the West Virginia football program?
Rodriguez is undoubtedly one of the most successful coaches in West Virginia football history. As the Mountaineers coach from 2001 to 2007, Rodriguez led the program to four Big East Conference titles, three-consecutive 11-win seasons, and two BCS bowl games.
However, after losing to Pittsburgh 13-9 in a massive upset in the final game of the season, knocking WVU out of national-title contention, Rodriguez left West Virginia to become the head football coach at Michigan.
Without Rodriguez, West Virginia has failed to achieve the same success; in the 17 years since, the Mountaineers have not won 11 games again and last won a conference title in 2011.
The departure did not prove successful for Rodriguez either. He was fired by Michigan after going 15-22 in three seasons in Ann Arbor. He then went to Arizona, where he went 26-14 in his first three seasons before finishing 17-21 in his final three. Arizona fired Rodriguez following the 2017 season.
After his dismissal from Arizona, Rodriguez bounced around, serving as the offensive coordinator of Ole Miss for one season as an analyst for Hawaii the next and offensive coordinator of Louisiana-Monroe the year after that.
In November 2021, Jacksonville State hired Rodriguez, giving him his first opportunity as a head coach in four years. Rodriguez has made the most of the opportunity as he transformed the Gamecocks back into a winner despite making the transition from the FCS level to FBS.
Since Rodriguez's arrival, Jacksonville State has won nine games each year, and on Friday, the Gamecocks thoroughly dominated Western Kentucky in the Conference USA Championship Game to claim a conference title in just their second season as an FBS program.
In addition to Rodriguez, names to watch for in the West Virginia football coaching search include Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton, former Florida State and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, UNLV head coach Barry Odom, and Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell.
