Rich Rodriguez Returns to West Virginia: A New Era with Familiar Faces
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — If you find yourself wandering into West Virginia’s Milan Puskar Stadium during spring football, you might feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The scene is reminiscent of the mid-2000s, with familiar faces and a familiar energy buzzing around the field.
On a crisp March morning, head coach Rich Rodriguez is back in his element, overseeing practice with a keen eye. Dressed in a navy blue West Virginia hat, a navy pullover with gold stripes, and matching navy pants, Rodriguez is a picture of focus and determination. But he’s not alone in this nostalgic setting. Pat White, Noel Devine, and Rasheed Marshall, all key figures from Rodriguez’s first tenure, are present, albeit in different roles. White, once the star quarterback, is now coaching the quarterbacks. Devine, the former standout running back, is guiding the next generation of running backs. Marshall, Rodriguez’s first quarterback at West Virginia, serves as the director of player relations, ensuring the team remains cohesive and motivated.
Rodriguez’s family is also deeply embedded in the program. His son, Rhett, has grown from a child on the sidelines to the quarterbacks coach, working alongside White. Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s daughter, Raquel, captures the essence of practice through her lens, managing West Virginia’s creative content.
“I should probably be more grateful for that,” Rodriguez muses. “It’s a definite blessing, but I don’t probably look at it that way enough because I’m still yelling at Rhett. I’m still yelling at Pat White.”
Off the field, Rodriguez is known for his easygoing nature, but once he steps onto the field, a switch flips. His fiery demeanor demands the best from everyone around him, a trait that has defined his coaching career.
“I know it sounds like coachspeak, but the next play is my entire world. You know, maybe I’m sick. … But when we’re doing practice, that very next play is the most important thing in the world to me. And maybe I’m psycho for thinking that way.”
This return to Morgantown marks a new chapter for Rodriguez, one where he continues to demand a “hard edge” from his team, a hallmark of his coaching philosophy.
A Storied Past and a Promising Future
WEST VIRGINIA HIRED Rodriguez as its head coach for the first time in 2001. During his six seasons, he led the Mountaineers to three top-10 finishes in the AP poll from 2005 to 2007, matching the number of top-10 finishes the program had achieved in its previous 106 seasons combined. The 2007 team was a single December loss against rival Pitt away from competing for the national championship. Rodriguez’s innovative spread option offense not only made West Virginia a powerhouse but also one of the most exciting teams in college football history.
Rodriguez’s departure in late 2007 for Michigan marked a turning point. West Virginia hasn’t finished a season in the AP top 15 since, and Rodriguez has held six different jobs over 18 years. His tenure at Michigan was particularly challenging, with a 3-9 record in 2008, the worst in school history, and three consecutive blowout losses to Ohio State.
After Michigan, Rodriguez spent six years at Arizona, a year as Ole Miss’ offensive coordinator, and another as the offensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe. However, his fortunes began to change when he took the head coaching job at Jacksonville State, leading them to bowl games in their first two FBS seasons, a feat no other program had achieved.
“It’s kind of natural to have some nostalgia about when we were here the first time, and some of the success we had probably a part in me getting back here the second time,” Rodriguez reflects. “But I like to think the main reason we were able to get this opportunity is because of what we did the last few years at Jack State. Because if we lost at Jack State, I would have never got called, right?”
Now at 61, Rodriguez is as passionate as ever, bringing the same intensity to practice that his former players remember.
- Pat White notes, “Zero has changed about Coach Rod. He’s still as fiery as he was as a 40-year-old coach. And he may be a little upset with me for saying this, but now he’s fiery, plus he’s slightly a grumpy old man, so it makes for intensity at all times, which is good.”
- Noel Devine adds, “He’s hard-edge and [makes you] earn success. Coach Rod is very intense and has high expectations of his athletes. And if you want to be your best, he’s going to get the best out of you.”
Rodriguez’s approach is a blend of old-school toughness and modern understanding. “I’ve had old-school coaches, where they were on you all the time and that’s all you ever saw,” he explains. “They never saw the other side. I call it flipping the switch. It’s a different person out there in those lines than there is right here. It’s not purposeful, I’ve just always been that way.”
Despite his competitive nature, Rodriguez has a softer side, evident in his love for his family and his two Pomeranian puppies, Roxie and Rambo. “My kids and my wife will tell you the same thing. I’m sweet. They tease me when I get my puppies. They’ve got my heart too, my family and my puppies.”
However, when it comes to football, Rodriguez is all business. His commitment to discipline extends beyond the field, as seen in his decision to ban his team from dancing on TikTok. “They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he clarifies. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”
Rodriguez believes that TikTok dances promote individuality, which contradicts the team-first culture he aims to instill. This is where Rasheed Marshall plays a crucial role, acting as a bridge between Rodriguez and the players, helping them understand the coach’s high expectations.
“It’s keeping a pulse on where guys are mentally, what’s going on outside of this building, but also being able to make an impact in terms of explaining to these guys what the culture is all about, having gone through it myself,” Marshall explains. “There’s going to be a time when some of these guys, they just knock on the office, and they want to know, ‘Hey, was that chew-out personal? Or was it just him trying to make me better?'”
Marshall acknowledges that Rodriguez’s style can be misunderstood, but credits it for shaping him into the person he is today. “From the outside, it is very easy to look at it and say, ‘OK, this is just absolutely absurd. Who wants to be a part of it?’ But it does take a special person. Looking at it externally you could easily say this is pretty hostile, and you’re not going to get anyone to buy into it. But he’ll find the people.”
Rodriguez’s demand for accountability is a key reason he has brought back former players. He believes they can earn immediate respect from the current roster while conveying his message to the next generation.
“You understand that when you step on the field, it’s about handling your business,” White says. “You have a job to do. And as he always says, ‘This play is the most important thing happening in your life while you’re doing it. Your mind should be on only my assignment, my alignment, my technique, and how do I whoop the guy in front of me?’ And he demands it.”
Rich Rodriguez’s Roots and the Road Ahead
RODRIGUEZ HAS BEEN on the job for about three months, and his office is still a work in progress. Among the family photos and West Virginia helmets, a lump of coal sits under a shelf, a nod to his roots.
“You think, ‘Where would the Rodriguez name come from in small-town West Virginia?’ Well my grandfather and his brother were looking for jobs in the States, and the only thing they could find was in the coal mines of West Virginia.”
Rodriguez grew up in Grant Town, a small community with a population of about 1,000 when he was born. His family, like many others, worked in the coal mines, and his grandfather’s death from black lung serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who came before him.
Despite his success in football, Rodriguez carries the spirit of a coal miner, appreciating the simple pleasures like pepperoni rolls, a staple lunch for miners. The lump of coal in his office serves as a reminder of the hard work and dedication that defines his coaching philosophy.
“Whenever I start complaining, or anybody on the staff starts complaining about coaching, whatever, whatever. I mean, we need to reflect. Look at what these people did for a living.”
For Rodriguez, coaching at West Virginia is more than just a job. It’s a connection to his roots and a responsibility to the fan base that supports the team. “I grew up in … a coal mining town; they had a plant right there. So yeah, this place does mean more. I went to school here. I understand the people of the state. It’s blue-collar and [has] an underdog mentality, but also a lot of pride in everything that we do. There’s no professional team in the state. There’s not another Power 4 team in the state. So a lot of people’s happiness can grow when West Virginia athletics has success. I knew that when I played here, I knew that before I played here, I knew that when I coached here, so that’s still the same.
“There’s a lot of people that buy these tickets, and that’s a big expense to them and I think we owe it to them, you know, maybe not to win, you’re going to make mistakes, whatever. But we owe it to them to at least play with great passion.”
Redemption and Renewal: A Second Chance for Rodriguez and West Virginia
RICH RODRIGUEZ’S LAST days at West Virginia were marked by disappointment. The Mountaineers entered the 2007 Backyard Brawl against 4-7 Pittsburgh with a 10-1 record and a No. 2 ranking in the BCS poll. A win would have secured a spot in the national championship game. However, Pitt’s 13-9 upset remains one of the most memorable moments of that season, leaving Rodriguez devastated.
“Worst night of my professional career, without question, by far,” he recalls, describing the aftermath of the loss.
Following the defeat, Rodriguez accepted the head coaching position at Michigan, a move that left a sour taste among West Virginia fans. Both Rodriguez and the Mountaineers have struggled to replicate their past success since parting ways. Now, they have a chance to rewrite their story together.
“We were really close. I mean, we were, I think, solidly, a top-10 program, and close to playing for a national championship. But part of my frustration is I wanted to stay there. And people say it’s harder to stay at the top than get to the top. No, it’s harder to get there.”
Rodriguez’s return was met with enthusiasm, as evidenced by his opening news conference in December. Even a heckler couldn’t dampen the celebratory atmosphere, with Rodriguez quipping, “OK, any other Pitt fans can leave the building,” prompting cheers and chants from the crowd.
While much has changed since Rodriguez’s first tenure, including the introduction of the transfer portal, NIL, and a 12-team playoff format, his focus remains on building a strong foundation for the future.
“We want to play fast and have fast guys. We’re not fast enough right now, but when we get some time to get our fast guys playing fast, and playing with passion, then we’ll get close to the success we had back [in 2007].”
Rodriguez is still shaping his roster, but his priorities are clear: effective practices, rigorous workouts, focused meetings, and a commitment to the program. He believes that once these standards are established, the Mountaineers will thrive.
For Rodriguez’s former players, success is not a question of if, but when. “The principles and the pillars of what he expected back then, the expectation has not changed,” Marshall asserts. “You’re going to play hard, he’s going to be demanding. He’s going to coach you in a particular way to where you’re going to get it done, or there’s going to be another player to step in and get it done for me.”
Devine echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of instilling a strong work ethic in the current team. “We can’t relive the past, even though we have people from the past right back here in the building. The only thing we can do is lay down the blueprint, the gold standard, blue collar work ethic, and try to instill the same thing that was instilled in us. … We can’t relive the past, but we can rebuild.”
White, a standout player in his own right, stresses the importance of belief. “I don’t know if all the players [last year] on every given Saturday or Friday or Thursday, whenever they played, truly felt like they had a chance to win when they stepped out on the field,” he says. “I think we did, and I think they will.”
Rodriguez is confident that his standards will soon take root, and the results will be evident to anyone watching West Virginia play this fall. “It’s human nature to be average, it’s human nature to be lazy, and we have to fight that every day,” he asserts.
“And we — and I — will keep fighting it. I have no problems fighting it until it becomes ingrained into every person in the program.”
Originally Written by: Harry Lyles Jr.
