Director of Athletics, Wren Baker, announced Thursday morning that Rich Rodriguez will become the 36th head coach for West Virginia. Rodriguez, a native West Virginian, is most well-known for his time at WVU from 2001-2007. In that six year tenure at West Virginia, Rodriguez found some of the most success anyone has ever had as the head coach here at WVU. Most notably, an 11-1 2007 season that ended in heartbreak. Falling in the last game of the season prevented the team from reaching the BCS Championship Game. Rodriguez has an overall record of 190-129-2 throughout his 27 years as a head coach. After a highly controversial split from the university, Rodriguez has returned home to finish what he started.
Rodriguez is coming off of a 9-4 season at Jacksonville State where he guided the team to a Conference USA championship and earned coach of the year honors in that conference. Rodriguez is also a former PAC12, and a two time Big East coach of the year. “My family and I are filled with gratitude to lead the Mountaineer football program again and look forward to working with the many supporters, fans, and friends to build the best football program in America! Take Me Home!” said Rodriguez in an opening statement.
This move will no doubt have the backing of many former coaches, players, and fans alike. Players such as Adam Jones and Pat McAfee have already shown their excitement for the return of coach Rodriguez on social media. This will be key for West Virginia as they try to retain their talent from last year's team, and continue to be successful for years to come. Fans should be excited for this hire based off of past success and the amount of alumni that will want to be involved with the program. This will add a new dimension to WVU’s NIL budget that has become so important in today’s college football world. A winning culture with a higher budget and greater alumni relationship is something fans are very excited for.
"I still think about that Pitt game every day of my life. I asked coach Rod if he does too, and he said, 'I do.' 'If I get the opportunity to make it right, I will work my ass off to earn the trust of this state back. We will earn our way back into the college football conversation.' Rich Rod is the most competitive person I've ever met. He's as motivated as I am to make West Virginia great again. All he wants to do is win." said McAfee to open his show on Thursday morning.
McAfee and crew will be live from the WVU coliseum starting at 10:30 am Friday, leading up to the inaugural press conference for Rodriguez. This will be the second time in just over 3 months that McAfee has had a live show from Morgantown. The hiring will no doubt be a very exciting thing for former players and help retain current WVU talent.
Photo sourced from WTRF.