Asti: Rich Rodriguez Now Has Compelling Case for Hall of Fame

As if there’s not enough pressure on Rich Rodriguez to lead WVU to success during his second tenure back home, he now has an added personal incentive on top of everything else.

Rodriguez has expressed a desire to “make it right” and provide championships and big wins for the West Virginia fans he left decades ago. But in the process of atoning for his past sins, Rodriguez has a legitimate opportunity to reach a level of immortality in the sport.

The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced an adjustment to the eligibility criteria for coaches to be considered for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, opening up the door for Rodriguez.

While many nationally are taking this adjustment as a sign the late Mike Leach will take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame, this new bar puts Rodriguez very much in play for enshrinement as well.

A win % bar has never been fair since winning with some programs is tougher than winning with others. This move will now ensure Mike Leach gets in the HOF (he's at .596%) and also opens up the door for Rich Rod (also at .596%) barring what happens during his second WVU tenure. https://t.co/OzKTgf2BXe

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) May 29, 2025

Up until this change, coaches had to achieve a minimum .600 win percentage to be eligible, which meant Leach and Rodriguez, who both own a .596 mark could not be considered.

And even though some have tried to argue holding all coaches to a win percentage bar isn’t entirely fair – it’s tougher to win at certain schools – there was nothing anyone could do to help coaches below that threshold.

Leach, who died on Dec. 12, 2022, helped revolutionize offensive strategy, has a 158-107 overall record, eight bowl wins and was named Coach of the Year in multiple major conferences and once nationally. He led non traditional programs like Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State to some of their most memorable seasons in school history.

Leach’s legacy is deserving of the Hall of Fame. And the criteria was likely even adjusted to make Leach eligible after an outcry of support following his passing.

But it’s now possible Rodriguez will benefit from the movement for Leach.

Like Leach, Rodriguez holds a .596 career win percentage. But barring a drastic dip in the coming years, Rodriguez has an even more compelling case as a whole.

Also credited as an offensive innovator, Rodriguez has a 136-92 record (at major schools – he has 190 wins in his full career), has already been named a Coach of the Year four times, has four major conference titles from the old Big East (multiple non major titles as well) and led the Mountaineers to a Sugar Bowl victory. In contrast, Leach never won a BCS/New Years 6 level bowl, losing in the Cotton Bowl twice.

So now if Leach gets in, which seems inevitable at this point, Rodriguez seems to be a future lock as well. The only way Rodriguez could really screw up his candidacy is if he endures losing seasons before he eventually retires, dropping his career win percentage below .595.

And since it’s unlikely the bar will be lowered any further, fair or not, a failed end of his career would then likely lock West Virginia’s native son out forever.

Find more coverage of Rich Rodriguez at WV Sports Now.

For related content, Mike Asti spoke with WVU legend Steve Slaton shortly after he was announced as a member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class.