Who says you can’t go home?
That is certainly the case for the reunion between West Virginia and head coach Rich Rodriguez who returns to the Mountaineers football program after 17-years away.
It’s something that at one point seemed almost impossible, but that’s where we find ourselves now as Rodriguez will be overtop the West Virginia football program once again.
The Grant Town native will return to his Mountain State roots where he played college football from 1981-84 and got his start in the coaching profession as a student assistant.
After some successful stints as both a head coach and offensive coordinator elsewhere, Rodriguez would then triumphantly return to Morgantown as the head coach after Don Nehlen retired and led the program to a resurgence on the football field in short order.
Rodriguez, now 61, led the Mountaineers from 2001-07 and finished 60-26 during his time atop the football program leading the program to four shared or outright Big East Championships.
During his run, West Virginia had three consecutive seasons of at least 10-wins under Rodriguez from 2005-07 and was right at the center of the college football world at the time.
I myself was a student at the time at West Virginia University and there’s no question that for the most part the expectations and results matched that of what the fan base wanted to see on the field. The team played with a toughness and grit that was a pride for the fan base and opponents knew that they were playing a physical outfit.
It certainly didn’t end on a high note, as Rodriguez would leave the program to become the head coach at Michigan at the end of the 2007 season.
Nobody is sugarcoating that or the feelings associated with it.
But both parties always seemed to never be quite as good apart as they once were together. Now, they’ll get the opportunity to prove that’s indeed the case.
West Virginia had some memorable wins during that time and Rodriguez found his footing after his stint in Ann Arbor with successful coaching tenures at Arizona and most recently Jacksonville State where he led the Gamecocks in the transition to FBS football with a 26-10 record and a 2024 Conference USA Championship.
Rodriguez was named Conference USA Coach of the Year this past season and the Mountaineers were in need of a head coach after relieving Neal Brown of his post after six seasons. It was the name that was immediately linked to the job given his track record in Morgantown and the support for his potential return.
And now, it’s a reality. Rodriguez now has the opportunity to once again roam the sidelines of Mountaineer Field with a chance to again lead a resurgence for a proud program. It won’t be easy for all to accept at first, this state isn’t known for forgiving quickly but 17-years is a long time and winning certainly heals wounds.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be the head football coach at West Virginia University,” Rodriguez said. “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!”
This isn’t the first reunion of college coaches and programs with Bill Snyder and Kansas State, Bobby Petrino and Louisville and even Scott Frost returning back to UCF in this hiring cycle.
But this is perhaps the one that at one point seemed to be the most unlikely given everything that unfolded prior. But a new regime and time led to this union.
West Virginia’s new coach, is a familiar one, and now the challenge is on Rodriguez to prove that he is ready for the opportunity once again.
Cue the inflatable helmet, it’s time to spot the ball – once again.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
