MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — After starting the season 4-0, the Marshall Thundering Herd have lost 5 consecutive games to move to 4-5 on the year and many supporters of The Herd on social media are starting to wonder whether head coach Charles Huff is the right man to the lead the program moving forward.
Social media account MUHERD posted a picture of Rich Rodriguez yesterday on X following Marshall’s 31-9 loss at Appalachian State with the caption “I’m on Team Rich Rod, who is with me?” Rodriguez, 60, has put together an incredible season at Jacksonville State, who is competing in its very first year in the FBS. Jax State is currently 7-3 overall and 5-1 in Conference USA after they were predicted to have a down year, and Rodriguez’s team nearly upset South Carolina yesterday. Jax State fell 38-28 late, but competed with an SEC team on the road and Rodriguez is starting to show up on wish lists for schools that will be searching for a new head coach this upcoming offseason.
I’m on team Richrod who is with me 🤷♂️💯 pic.twitter.com/IFNYJ5x6Fq
— MUHERD (@bays_chad) November 5, 2023
Huff isn’t quite on the hot seat yet, but Rich Rodriguez returning to West Virginia to coach the Thundering Herd seems like a natural fit for both parties if a coaching change happens. Hiring an accomplished, experienced head coach who is a native of West Virginia makes a ton of sense for Marshall, and Rodriguez returning to his roots and returning to the Mountain State to finish his career seems like an ideal scenario for him.
In addition, it’s been rumored that Rodriguez applied for the Marshall head coaching position back in 2021 before the university ultimately decided to hire Huff. While Rodriguez may not have been interviewed or part of the hiring process at that time, a lot has changed in 2 years and Rodriguez is in a much better place than he was then. Rodriguez is 16-5 overall and 10-1 in conference play in his 2nd season at Jacksonville State, and he’s proven that he still possesses the passion and offensive brilliance to turn a program around quickly. If Huff does not return in 2024, don’t be surprised to see Rich Rodriguez as a real, legitimate contender to become the next head coach of the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Friendly reminder that @RealCoachRod applied for the Thundering Herd Head Coach job in 2021… pic.twitter.com/4Uk0KkaX3o
— Downtown Huntington™ (@DowntownHWV) November 5, 2023
