It’s not every day a college football coach revisits the scene of his most infamous career moment—then flips the script so decisively that the entire country takes notice. Nearly two decades after his controversial West Virginia exit, Rich Rodriguez is back in the spotlight. And this time, he’s not just addressing old wounds. He’s delivering a message that every FBS program should hear loud and clear.

On Josh Pate’s College Football Show, in a segment titled Rich Rodriguez joins Josh Pate — Pate State Speaker Series, the WVU head coach didn’t duck from the past. Speaking with host Josh Pate, Rodriguez opened up about his tenure in West Virginia and how not just the wins but the program’s culture and energy left a lasting impression on him. “I think we were right in the middle of it,” Rodriguez said, reflecting on his time at West Virginia. “I didn’t probably see it from a national scope but the formula was still the same we believe today. You find really good players that play really hard and care more about the team’s success than individual success.”

Rodriguez’s 2007 exit—just one win shy of a national championship berth—sparked outrage and heartbreak in West Virginia In between, he had stints at Michigan, Arizona and Jacksonville—some successful, some controversial. But nearly two decades after his first exit from West Virginia, he’s more focused on how that era shaped his coaching philosophy. “That, to me, is what our program was filled with. I hope that’s been the mark of our program every place I’ve been,” he said, referencing his time not only at WVU but also at Arizona, Jacksonville State, and even Michigan.

Far from offering an apology tour, Rich Rodriguez used the moment to make a broader point about evolution in coaching. “That was a lesson to me. Some guys hopefully have it already naturally, but you can also foster that,” he explained. “That’s why I can’t stand when people just use that fortune cookie logic of, ‘Well, people never change.’ People change all the time. Sure they do.”

The head coach emphasized that he’s evolved too—not in core beliefs, but in methodology. “If I expect all of our players to get better, I expect our coaches to get better; I’ve got to get better too,” he added. “That’s why there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about, okay, what can we do to help us or help me get better?” These statements simply prove that Rich Rodriguez practices what he preaches.

If you thought Rodriguez’s return to the West Virginia spotlight is just about setting the record straight—you’re dead wrong, It’s about laying new groundwork. He explained this in that same interview with Josh Pate by sharing a compelling anecdote about a former freshman wide receiver who had “never hit anybody in his life” and was hesitant in contact situations—until everything clicked.

“All of a sudden, he flipped within a matter of three or four practices,” Rodriguez said. “He became the best stock blocker wide receiver I’ve ever had. And it changed my entire philosophy.” That moment reinforced his belief that the right environment can unlock hidden potential. “If you’re surrounding a guy that has it in him somewhere, and you can foster that environment to get him to play with that hard edge and that competitiveness all the time, we might have something special.”

It’s this mentality he’s now bringing back to WVU: creating a culture where toughness and accountability are nurtured, not just expected.

Can Rich Rodriguez Rebuild West Virginia’s toughness through his recruiting strategy?

Rodriguez is building a lot of hype with his recent recruiting strategy. His program is starting to build with the same kind of undervalued, high-ceiling talent that made his earlier WVU teams so dangerous. Rich Rodriguez recently earned a commitment from 300-pound offensive lineman Malik Agbo, a former four-star recruit from Washington, who brings his experience, having played in 32 games across multiple positions, including offensive tackle, guard, and as a jumbo tight end.

His addition is part of Rodriguez’s broader effort to rebuild WVU’s offensive line, which has seen the inclusion of other transfers like Mickel Clay from North Alabama and Josh Aisosa from Oklahoma. an early signal that his recruiting pitch still lands. But more important than the names is the system he’s building. He’s prioritizing “guys that want to play hard, compete hard, and love the game”—the type that fit West Virginia’s blue-collar DNA.

And Rodriguez made clear this isn’t nostalgia—it’s a warning shot. The same grit and development mindset that helped him build a national contender before is now being retooled for modern college football. “We might have something special,” he said. “We thought it was developing there (at Michigan) by our third year.” With Rodriguez sharpening his tools, adding size and skill like Agbo, and reinvigorating the culture he once built from the ground up, the message to the FBS is clear: don’t sleep on West Virginia. Not this time!