Morgantown, WV – Rich Rodriguez officially returned to West Virginia University in December. With the prodigal son’s return has come plethora of excitement from the fanbase, with older fans in particular. The Mountaineer fanbase is starved for a winner after enduring what is one of the least productive six seasons in program history.
While many believe Rodriguez could be the one to turn around the Mountaineers, there have been some skeptics. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports appears to be one of the latter.
Fornelli recently revealed his rankings of all 68 Power Four coaches in college football. Rodriguez, who is coming off an impressive 27-10 run at Jacksonville State, placed 42nd.
Here is what Fornelli had to say about Rodriguez’s return:
“Welcome back to the rankings, RichRod! Rodriguez returns to West Virginia, where he enjoyed his greatest success after leading Jacksonville State to a 27-10 record the last three seasons. That includes an 18-8 mark in their first two seasons as an FBS program.”
While nothing particularly negative, Fornelli’s ranking of the nearly 62-year old Rodriguez can indicate a lack of faith in his ability to bring back the Mountaineer program.
Only time will tell if this comes to fruition.
Rodriguez will have his first chance to right the ship when the Mountaineers welcome Robert Morris to town on August 30th. The kickoff time and network have yet to be revealed.
(Photo by WVU Athletics)
