Latest news with #RichRodriguez
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Rich Rodriguez's return as coach at West Virginia is a homecoming, too
FRISCO, Texas — Rich Rodriguez has more gray around the temples than the last time he was at West Virginia, nearly 20 years ago when he bolted for Michigan as one of the hottest coaching prospects in college football. Two more head coaching stops and plenty of losses later, Rodriguez is more than just back at West Virginia . He's home again, in the state where he was born and raised, for a second tour at his alma mater.
Dominion Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
WVU's Rich Rodriguez still learning new transfers, trying to use culture to unify roster
FRISCO, Texas — Preseason camp is just a couple of weeks away for West Virginia football, and the roster is shaping up. The roster from 2024 will look completely different than 2025, which is expected since Rich Rodriguez wasn't the head coach in 2024. In the era of the transfer portal, new coaches can completely flip rosters, and Rodriguez did exactly that. Out of the winter and spring portal, Rodriguez brought in close to 70 new players, up there for the top number of additions. There were departures in the winter and spring, but knowing there are only 105 roster spots, that's nearly the entire roster. A complete roster flip happens more in basketball, but those rosters only consist of 15 players. 'There really wasn't a master plan; your first year usually brings a lot of roster turnover, especially with a new staff,' Rodriguez said at Big 12 Media Day on Wednesday. 'It ended up being more than we expected, but we didn't panic.' During an interview on the ESPN stage, Rodriguez joked a little about how he's still adjusting his roster size. 'I'm still trying to figure all their names out,' Rodriguez said. 'Half of those players weren't there in the spring. You get a little bit of knowledge in summer workouts. Not a whole lot. The August camp is so important.' August camp starts in less than 25 days, and the season's first game is only 50. Rodriguez has a tough task of getting his new players acclimated. Rodriguez said establishing culture is the most important part of creating some unity in a team made up mostly of transfers. 'You have to make sure the culture is right first and foremost,' Rodriguez said. 'Did we evaluate right? All these new guys we brought in, you've got to make sure you evaluated right and that they are guys that can play. I think we did.' The culture will be what most spectators of a Rodriguez squad would expect: the hard-nose, moving bodies and physical team, or the Rodriguez trademark 'hard edge.' It's harder nowadays to develop a culture in college football, though. There are two transfer portals, with the one in the spring sometimes making the culture building in the winter and early spring pointless. One of Rodriguez's biggest issues with college football now is that a coach can coach a player all spring, and at the end, he can jump ship and play against the coach a couple of months later. Now, not playing isn't the only reason a player could leave. There's money involved, and players could jump for more money. Rodriguez said, 'it's not easy' to develop culture. 'It's not just because kids are different today,' Rodriguez said. 'As much as an old-school traditional coach I am. I'm also like, what does today's world look like to these guys? What can we do now with these guys to motivate them to play at their very highest? I still think that's our greatest responsibility as a coach. We can take them somewhere where they can't take themselves. That's what coaching is all about.' Culture has become a buzzword for college football. A lot of coaches try to create a culture within their football program and come up short. Rodriguez couldn't implement culture at Arizona or Michigan, but maybe at his alma mater, he can integrate it again like he did before he left. 'The one thing we wanted to make sure we have in the first year is that we establish the environment and the culture,' Rodriguez said. 'Coaches use that word all the time, but do they really adhere to it on a daily basis on everything you do? We are. We are doing that. The players have done a great job of buying into it. We'll see what happens.'
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Rich Rodriguez's return as coach at West Virginia is a homecoming, too
Associated Press FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Rich Rodriguez has more gray around the temples than the last time he was at West Virginia, nearly 20 years ago when he bolted for Michigan as one of the hottest coaching prospects in college football. Two more head coaching stops and plenty of losses later, Rodriguez is more than just back at West Virginia. He's home again, in the state where he was born and raised, for a second tour at his alma mater. 'I know where the bodies are buried and the traps are laid and kind of understand the environment,' Rodriguez said Wednesday during Big 12 media days at the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in the northern suburb of Frisco. 'But then again, times have changed.' Rodriguez speaks of a different conference — it was the Big East back then — and the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, along with the money West Virginia has spent on facilities that wowed the 61-year-old when he got a good look at the campus for the first time in 17 years. Times have certainly changed for a coach who was the youngest in the country as a 24-year-old at Salem in 1988, and two years later took over at tiny Glenville State not far from a hometown that is just 20 miles from the WVU campus in Morgantown. There was the humbling experience starting in 2008 at Michigan, where Rodriguez was fired with a 15-22 record after a three-year stint that began with the first back-to-back losing seasons for the Wolverines in 46 years. Next was a six-year stay at Arizona that ended with a winning record but under the cloud of an investigation over claims of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Rodriguez took a five-year break from head coaching before joining Jacksonville State, where the nine wins in each of his three seasons led to a reunion with the Mountaineers. 'I'm a smarter and better coach than I was a week ago, let alone 20 years ago,' Rodriguez said. 'I feel like 20 years ago, we had some success and that maybe helped me get some respect in getting this job. But I think if I didn't win at Jax State the past three years, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. I think we're better than we were back then.' Rodriguez led West Virginia during easily the best three-year stretch in school history. After consecutive 11-2 seasons, the Mountaineers had a chance to qualify for the national championship game in 2007 but lost the regular-season finale at rival Pittsburgh, which was a heavy underdog. That stunner sparked an acrimonious departure, with fans blaming Rodriguez's decision on the loss to the Panthers and the coach countering that his relationship with athletic director Ed Pastilong was in shambles while the school was refusing to pay assistant coaches what Rodriguez thought they deserved. West Virginia went after Rodriguez to try to recoup the buyout in his contract. A settlement led to Michigan paying $2.5 million and Rodriguez the remaining $1.5 million. At Rodriguez's reintroductory news conference, a heckler had to be escorted out. And Rodriguez said the administration wondered what the reaction would be. He said he tried not to let that factor into the decision to return. 'There's been a couple of times and somebody's said something here or there and all that,' Rodriguez said. 'And I understand that. It might be better off. If they didn't have hard feelings, maybe they didn't miss you.' Receiver Jaden Bray, going into his second season at West Virginia following two years at Oklahoma State, said he hasn't seen any hard feelings. He has an internship that requires him to work plenty of sporting events, and it's worth noting that the Mountaineers haven't had consecutive winning seasons since 2018. 'When I would be at those events, I'd have fans coming up to me, 'Are you ready for Rich Rod? Is Rich Rod back?'' Bray said. 'They were telling me all these stories about when he was here, how fun the town was.' Rodriguez knows how he can quiet the critics. 'I think if you learn from everything, whether it's good or bad, you've got a chance to win,' Rodriguez said. 'Every decision I make with the program is, does it help us win?' ___ AP college football: recommended Item 1 of 3
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Rich Rodriguez's return as coach at West Virginia is a homecoming, too
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Rich Rodriguez has more gray around the temples than the last time he was at West Virginia, nearly 20 years ago when he bolted for Michigan as one of the hottest coaching prospects in college football. Two more head coaching stops and plenty of losses later, Rodriguez is more than just back at West Virginia . He's home again, in the state where he was born and raised, for a second tour at his alma mater. 'I know where the bodies are buried and the traps are laid and kind of understand the environment,' Rodriguez said Wednesday during Big 12 media days at the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in the northern suburb of Frisco. 'But then again, times have changed.' Rodriguez speaks of a different conference — it was the Big East back then — and the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, along with the money West Virginia has spent on facilities that wowed the 61-year-old when he got a good look at the campus for the first time in 17 years. Times have certainly changed for a coach who was the youngest in the country as a 24-year-old at Salem in 1988, and two years later took over at tiny Glenville State not far from a hometown that is just 20 miles from the WVU campus in Morgantown. There was the humbling experience starting in 2008 at Michigan, where Rodriguez was fired with a 15-22 record after a three-year stint that began with the first back-to-back losing seasons for the Wolverines in 46 years. Next was a six-year stay at Arizona that ended with a winning record but under the cloud of an investigation over claims of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Rodriguez took a five-year break from head coaching before joining Jacksonville State, where the nine wins in each of his three seasons led to a reunion with the Mountaineers. 'I'm a smarter and better coach than I was a week ago, let alone 20 years ago,' Rodriguez said. 'I feel like 20 years ago, we had some success and that maybe helped me get some respect in getting this job. But I think if I didn't win at Jax State the past three years, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. I think we're better than we were back then.' Rodriguez led West Virginia during easily the best three-year stretch in school history. After consecutive 11-2 seasons, the Mountaineers had a chance to qualify for the national championship game in 2007 but lost the regular-season finale at rival Pittsburgh, which was a heavy underdog. That stunner sparked an acrimonious departure , with fans blaming Rodriguez's decision on the loss to the Panthers and the coach countering that his relationship with athletic director Ed Pastilong was in shambles while the school was refusing to pay assistant coaches what Rodriguez thought they deserved. West Virginia went after Rodriguez to try to recoup the buyout in his contract. A settlement led to Michigan paying $2.5 million and Rodriguez the remaining $1.5 million. At Rodriguez's reintroductory news conference, a heckler had to be escorted out. And Rodriguez said the administration wondered what the reaction would be. He said he tried not to let that factor into the decision to return. 'There's been a couple of times and somebody's said something here or there and all that,' Rodriguez said. 'And I understand that. It might be better off. If they didn't have hard feelings, maybe they didn't miss you.' Receiver Jaden Bray, going into his second season at West Virginia following two years at Oklahoma State, said he hasn't seen any hard feelings. He has an internship that requires him to work plenty of sporting events, and it's worth noting that the Mountaineers haven't had consecutive winning seasons since 2018. 'When I would be at those events, I'd have fans coming up to me, 'Are you ready for Rich Rod? Is Rich Rod back?'' Bray said. 'They were telling me all these stories about when he was here, how fun the town was.' Rodriguez knows how he can quiet the critics. 'I think if you learn from everything, whether it's good or bad, you've got a chance to win,' Rodriguez said. 'Every decision I make with the program is, does it help us win?' ___ AP college football:
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rich Rodriguez's return as coach at West Virginia is a homecoming, too
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Rich Rodriguez has more gray around the temples than the last time he was at West Virginia, nearly 20 years ago when he bolted for Michigan as one of the hottest coaching prospects in college football. Two more head coaching stops and plenty of losses later, Rodriguez is more than just back at West Virginia. He's home again, in the state where he was born and raised, for a second tour at his alma mater. 'I know where the bodies are buried and the traps are laid and kind of understand the environment,' Rodriguez said Wednesday during Big 12 media days at the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in the northern suburb of Frisco. 'But then again, times have changed.' Rodriguez speaks of a different conference — it was the Big East back then — and the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics, along with the money West Virginia has spent on facilities that wowed the 61-year-old when he got a good look at the campus for the first time in 17 years. Times have certainly changed for a coach who was the youngest in the country as a 24-year-old at Salem in 1988, and two years later took over at tiny Glenville State not far from a hometown that is just 20 miles from the WVU campus in Morgantown. There was the humbling experience starting in 2008 at Michigan, where Rodriguez was fired with a 15-22 record after a three-year stint that began with the first back-to-back losing seasons for the Wolverines in 46 years. Next was a six-year stay at Arizona that ended with a winning record but under the cloud of an investigation over claims of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Rodriguez took a five-year break from head coaching before joining Jacksonville State, where the nine wins in each of his three seasons led to a reunion with the Mountaineers. 'I'm a smarter and better coach than I was a week ago, let alone 20 years ago,' Rodriguez said. 'I feel like 20 years ago, we had some success and that maybe helped me get some respect in getting this job. But I think if I didn't win at Jax State the past three years, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. I think we're better than we were back then.' Rodriguez led West Virginia during easily the best three-year stretch in school history. After consecutive 11-2 seasons, the Mountaineers had a chance to qualify for the national championship game in 2007 but lost the regular-season finale at rival Pittsburgh, which was a heavy underdog. That stunner sparked an acrimonious departure, with fans blaming Rodriguez's decision on the loss to the Panthers and the coach countering that his relationship with athletic director Ed Pastilong was in shambles while the school was refusing to pay assistant coaches what Rodriguez thought they deserved. West Virginia went after Rodriguez to try to recoup the buyout in his contract. A settlement led to Michigan paying $2.5 million and Rodriguez the remaining $1.5 million. 'There's been a couple of times and somebody's said something here or there and all that,' Rodriguez said. 'And I understand that. It might be better off. If they didn't have hard feelings, maybe they didn't miss you.' Receiver Jaden Bray, going into his second season at West Virginia following two years at Oklahoma State, said he hasn't seen any hard feelings. He has an internship that requires him to work plenty of sporting events, and it's worth noting that the Mountaineers haven't had consecutive winning seasons since 2018. 'When I would be at those events, I'd have fans coming up to me, 'Are you ready for Rich Rod? Is Rich Rod back?'' Bray said. 'They were telling me all these stories about when he was here, how fun the town was.'
