WVU Football
Where Does Rich Rodriguez Rank Among Big 12 Coaches on National List?
In trying to compare career resume with what each coach has accomplished lately, West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez is considered in the middle of the pack in a national ranking of Big 12 head coaches.
On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy ranked Rodriguez at No. 7 on a list that has BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire in the top three spots.
Sonny Dykes of TCU, Willie Fritz of Houston and Lance Leipold ahead of the veteran Rodriguez.
Obviously, despite a Hall of Fame caliber body of work across three decades, Rodriguez is being penalized for his 4-8 record during his first season back in West Virginia in 2025 and the fact it’s been since 2014 that he’s experienced major success at the major conference level.
However, on the back of recruiting success, both with WVU’s 2026 class and in the transfer portal, Rodriguez has continuously expressed a confidence in his current team and a belief his Mountaineers will take a big step to becoming an elite program again this fall.
Rodriguez even explained why he’s so confident in his RPO (run, pass, option) offense during a interview with former Penn State and Umass tight end turned college football analyst Adam Breneman.
“If you can throw for 500 yards on somebody, you’re probably going to win the game. But if you can run for 500, you’re guaranteed to win the game and it takes their soul,” said Rodriguez about why he’s always had a run-first mentality.
But of course, talk is cheap and there’s now added pressure on Rodriguez as he enters his second season of his second tenure.
