(Photo via The New York Times)
One of the most successful coaches in Mountaineer Football history, Rich Rodriguez, is back on the coaching scene at Jacksonville State. After stints at Michigan and Arizona since departing the Mountaineer, Rodriguez landed with the Gamecocks last November.
Sitting with a 7-2 record in 2022, it is apparent that he still has it. That is why he is our next candidate to replace Neal Brown should he be fired at season’s end.
The #3 best head coach option to replace Neal Brown at #WVU. pic.twitter.com/R9PEohUis6
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) November 3, 2022
Hiring Rodriguez could potentially be hard for many diehards to stomach, but hear me out – a second chance for him could be what is best for our program right now.
Why? He knows how to win at WVU, and win big.
Under Rodriguez, the Mountaineers were two Pat McAfee missed field goals away from a national championship in 2007. Had they won that Backyard Brawl, WVU likely goes on to win the title and Rodriguez never leaves.
But fate had other plans.
Now, the Mountaineers are down bad. The “Climb” era is simply not working out, and people are starving for changes before it’s too late. West Virginia is a tricky job, and requires the right individual who knows how to navigate the challenges.
So why not bring in someone who has been here and done it? There may be growing pains early on – it’s nothing new with a coaching staff new to the personnel.
But the positives far outweigh the possible negatives here.
Let’s run it back, Coach Rod!
