West Virginia president E. Gordon Gee was brutally honest about potentially hiring back ex-head coach Rich Rodriguez. The Mountaineers recently fired Neal Brown after six years at the helm in Morgantown. The program finished ninth in the Big 12 in 2024 after a 6-6 season. Rich Rodriguez’s successful stint as the head coach at Jacksonville State has led to rumors of an imminent reunion with the Mountaineers.
E. Gordon Gee responded to this speculation to College Football Insider for Action Network Brett McMurphy. The president, in particular, noted how Rodriguez’s original departure from Morgantown makes this hire more complicated than most people think.
“I think he would be well received by a large set of our population. He left in a very unruly manner. If he were to come back, it would have to be as a prodigal son. Can he come back? I don’t know. I’ve come back twice.”
The “Rich Rod” redemption arc in Morgantown would be awesome
Gee makes a good point that Rodriguez left unceremoniously for the Michigan job in 2007. “Rich Rod” left before the Mountaineers’ 2008 Fiesta Bowl victory against No. 4 Oklahoma. This departure came after a devastating “Backyard Brawl” defeat to Pittsburgh. With a win at home against the then-4-7 Panthers, No. 2 West Virginia would’ve made it to its first BCS national championship game. It wasn’t meant to be, as the Mountaineers dropped the game 13-9 to their rival.
Since that game, Rich Rodriguez has coached in several places. His Michigan stint lasted only three years. After that disappointing tenure, Rodriguez was the head coach in Tucson for the Arizona Wildcats. He compiled a record of 43-35 during his six years there before being fired in large part due to sexual misconduct allegations. Since then, Rodriguez has worked with several programs as an analyst and assistant coach before being hired by Jacksonville State to lead the program.
Rich Rod’s time with the Gamecocks has been among his best work as a head coach. Jacksonville State was an FCS school when it made this new hire in 2022. Now, the program is in Conference USA and recently won the conference championship. The Gamecocks posted a 9-4 record overall and went 7-1 in the conference. This is the kind of season that gets a coach considered by “Power 4” schools like West Virginia.
Be the first to comment