Please Share

Morgantown, West Virginia – Following a very successful first season at Jacksonville State, former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has signed a contract extension and gotten a big raise.

Rodriguez, 59, led Jacksonville State to a 9-2 record in his first season with the team and will be rewarded for his team’s performance on the field. Rodriguez signed a contract extension through 2028 and will have his base salary increase from $500,000 a year last season to $800,000 every year.

“I think it’s great,” Rodriguez said after agreeing to the extension. “We’ve made a commitment to each other. It’s long term. I teased that I’d sign a lifetime contract, but then if we lost, they’d have to kill me.

We love it here. We love the people. We love the town. We love the college. We love the guys in the program.”

Next season, Jacksonville State will play its first season in the FBS, entering Conference USA and Rodriguez is excited about the future of the program. “I’m optimistic, but I know there’s going to be some challenges,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to be the smallest team in Conference USA. There’s always some growing pains when you move up, but I’m excited about the challenge.”



Please Share

Previous articleWVU Listed as a “Dead” Program
Next articleBob Huggins’ Secret Weapon
Brad Smith, "The Voice of Morgantown", is the most trusted, accomplished name in West Virginia sports journalism. Smith is the foremost, preeminent authority on West Virginia athletics and a lifelong fan of the Mountaineers. Smith, a proud graduate of West Virginia University, resides in Morgantown most of the year, but has a home in Jacksonville, Florida, where he lives during the winter.