West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has already had success in Morgantown.
And he doesn’t doubt that played a role in being hired again to lead the football program.
Leading the football program from 2001-07, Rodriguez led the Mountaineers to a 60-26 record and three consecutive seasons with at least ten wins.
“We did have some success before and I like to think that played a small part maybe in this opportunity,” Rodriguez said.
But perhaps a bigger reason is what Rodriguez has done of late when he took over Jacksonville State and guided the football program through the transition from FCS to FBS.
And rather successfully at that leading the Gamecocks to a 27-10 record over three years including two bowl wins and a Conference USA Championship this past season.
Rodriguez was able to accomplish this while showcasing the ability to navigate the current landscape with roster turnover and utilizing the transfer portal by bringing in almost entirely new rosters each off-season.
“I also think a part was I got the job because of what I did at Jax State the last couple years. We had a great place and we were able to win and probably had that program ahead of schedule,” he said. “If we would have lost at Jax State I would have never got this opportunity.”
Every decision that Rodriguez has made is to try to help win win and his time spent at the group of five level gave him some valuable experience in how to navigate what needs to be done with the roster turnover necessary to help the West Virginia program compete this season.
“The formula is not that complicated. Get really good players, put them in position to have success, work really hard and you’ll win,” Rodriguez said.
And Rodriguez is hoping that formula carries over at West Virginia where he plans to close out his career in a place that means a whole lot to him.
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