Rich Rodriguez Officially Returning to WVU for Second Tenure as Head Coach

The 36th head coach in WVU football history is a blast from a very successful period of the past. Rich Rodriguez will be returning to West Virginia to continue his unfinished business from when he left the Mountaineers in 2007. WVU officially announced the news to make the earlier reports official on Thursday morning.

West Virginia offered a post with a simple “he’s coming home” caption and a graphic to announce the news.

𝗛𝗘'𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘.

The head football coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘇!

🔗 https://t.co/Ws7lN9l4C0#HailWV pic.twitter.com/5nJZBlGY4d

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) December 12, 2024

The moment WVU fired Neal Brown, there was one familiar name that immediately came to mind for some West Virginia fans – Rodriguez. And now Rodriguez and WVU have decided to put any past differences aside and get back together for one common goal – making the Mountaineers a national contender once again.

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.