West Virginia
Report: West Virginia to hire ex-Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez
Former Arizona Wildcats football coach Rich Rodriguez is expected to become the next head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, joining the Big 12 conference with UofA and Arizona State, according to the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.
The Sun Devils will host Rodriguez’s Mountaineers next season, while West Virginia will play Arizona in 2026.
Rodriguez spent seven seasons as West Virginia’s head coach from 2001-07, leading the program to a 60-26 record with wins in the Sugar Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl before leaving for Michigan.
He coached Arizona for six seasons and led the program to five bowl games, including the Fiesta Bowl. The Wildcats and Sun Devils had some memorable battles with Rodriguez leading Arizona and Todd Graham at Arizona State.
Arizona fired Rodriguez after the 2017 season following a notice of claim filed with the state attorney general’s office alleging he ran a hostile workplace. A lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and a hostile workplace environment was later dismissed.
Rodriguez has since made stops at Ole Miss, Hawaii (working with Graham) and Louisiana Monroe before Jacksonville State hired him as head coach ahead of the 2022 season. The Gamecocks made the jump to FBS in 2023 and won the 2024 Conference USA championship game over Western Kentucky.
His career comes full circle to West Virginia, which has won six or fewer games in five of the last six seasons. Rodriguez replaces Neal Brown.