Ken Kendrick on WVU AD Wren Baker Picking Rich Rodriguez: ‘No One Pressured Him’

With the return of Rich Rodriguez out there even before an official announcement from WVU, one of West Virginia’s most prominent donors decided to set the record straight about what went on during the search.

An account that’s been verified as Ken Kendrick, a top West Virginia booster and owner of MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, posted a direct response to those suggesting donors and alums pressured WVU director of athletics Wren Baker into hiring Rodriguez.

Wren Baker is his own man and conducted a thorough search to find our new Coach. NO ONE pressured him in any way during the process. The Country Roads Trust will strongly support Rich Rodriguez just as we would any other candidate that Wren would have been chosen. Go…

— WVU 1965 (@KenKendrick18) December 12, 2024

“Wren Baker is his own man and conducted a thorough search to find our new Coach. NO ONE pressured him in any way during the process. The Country Roads Trust will strongly support Rich Rodriguez just as we would any other candidate that Wren would have been chosen. Go Mountaineers!,” said Kendrick.

The constant comments supporting Rodriguez’s candidacy helped fuel speculation people like Kendrick and former Mountaineer Pat McAfee would kick in extra money for NIL money if the 63-year-old Rodriguez was brought back to Morgantown.

Hiring Rodriguez marks the first time Baker has even hired a coach with any past connection or tie to WVU or West Virginia. Baker’s two major coaching hires prior to football were Darian DeVries and Mark Kellogg for men’s and women’s basketball, respectively. DeVries and Kellogg came to WVU as outsiders to the school and region, but fit the criteria Baker usually looks for in a head coach.

And while Rodriguez is a unique candidate based on his controversial exit from WVU in 2007, Kendrick believes Baker just eventually became sold on him as the right man for the job and someone who can win.

Report: WVU Working on Deal to Bring Rich Rodriguez Back as Head Coach

Rodriguez’s return also comes on the heels of winning his first FBS conference title since his last one at WVU, as Jacksonville State dominated Western Kentucky 52-12 to claim the Conference USA crown.

Rodriguez, a West Virginia native, currently holds a 190-128-2 overall coaching record. He experienced most of his success while leading the Mountaineers from 2001-2007. At WVU, Rodriguez won four Big East titles and was named conference Coach of the Year twice. He added a third Coach of the Year honor in the Pac-12 in 2014 with Arizona.

But no matter how many games he won and trophies he lifted, Rodriguez’s first WVU tenure was tainted by the way he left – bolting for Michigan following the infamous 13-9 loss to Pitt, a defeat that cost the Mountaineers a trip the BCS National Championship Game.

After his departure from WVU, Rodriguez spent three lackluster years at Michigan and six seasons with Arizona, highlighted by winning 10 games and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl in 2014.

Rodriguez now has been offered something that’s never guaranteed after a breakup – a second chance. And while some fans may be hesitant to embrace him again, Rodriguez does have the support of key donors and notable alums like Pat McAfee, Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt just to name a few.

In November 2022, WVSN’s Mike Asti asked WVU legend Rasheed Marshall if he would ever want Rodriguez to return as head coach of the Mountaineers during an episode of their past “All Three Phases” podcast.

For a related story, Asti detailed why it’s important to look at the total picture of Rich Rodriguez’s career.