The 2025 season was all about former head coaches returning home to their old nests. West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez was on that list. And do you remember what the first thing he said on his return? “This is really surreal. I never should have left.” Rodriguez had taken an exit from the Mountaineers squad back in 2007 after West Virginia lost against the Pittsburgh Panthers, which would have otherwise secured them a spot in the national championship game. Maybe, Rodriguez has some unfinished business.

And ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum has high hopes about Rodriguez reviving the program. “I think Rich Rodriguez is one of the great stories in college football. He has proven himself. He’s come back against all odds, and I mean absolutely all.” What makes the ESPN analyst count so highly on Rodriguez? Well, the head coach is known for his USP of handling a heavily loaded QB room. A starting quarterback has not been named in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers will play an FCS and Group of Six opponent (Robert Morris and Ohio). Rodriguez now has two weapons in his hands: Nicco Marchiol and Jaylen Henderson. And one can expect the head coach would play them both in the opener and perhaps in Week 2 against Ohio if all goes right. This was taken up by insider Mountaineer Paul on the July 4th episode of the Locked On West Virginia podcast.  

“Rich Rodriguez doesn’t care about norms. As a matter of fact, if you listen to him tell it, he’d play three or four [quarterbacks] if they were good enough. He said that this year, right? So, you know, while there was a little bit of a joke in there, I think at the end of the day, he’s utilized two quarterbacks in a system a whopping 15 times.” Paul further discussed how Rich reflects on the QB situation.

The analyst continued, “He said he doesn’t buy into the saying if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. He sees having multiple quarterbacks as a strength, not a weakness… That’s what he said. Obviously, we know his spread option, no-huddle offense thrives on that flexibility, and he’s proven it in the past by rotating quarterbacks at every stop.” In that case, Rodriguez is a lucky man.

After all, Neal Brown’s staff struggled to find a second reliable quarterback that they could turn to if things went sideways or an injury occurred. Carrying a strong resume of playing the two quarterbacks at his multiple stops at Michigan, Arizona, Jackson State, Tulane, and Clemson, the Mountaineers are now in a position to offer him a familiar space. Having a package or two for a second quarterback is a totally different thing.

For instance, in Rodriguez’s case, Marchiol wins the starting job. He’s going to primarily throw the football, but at times will use his legs. On the other hand, given the power-packed phenom Henderson is, Rodriguez may install a few things for him where it makes sense to put the pigskin in his hands. However, the head coach has to be mindful about drawing the line at the perfect time. It can work as long as Rodriguez is not rotating him into the game so much that it turns out to be a two-QB system. But the head coach has already moved past the doubts.

He is best known for his days dominating the Big East with the dynamic Pat White. Then, in Michigan, he brought in Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. When Forcier turned out to be okayish, Robinson held the reins. Meanwhile, turns out that the Mountaineers’ AD Wren Baker has already been enamored by Rodriguez. 

No more looking back for Rich Rodriguez

His next stint in West Virginia does not guarantee Rodriguez a hefty deal like Brown’s, but an incentive-laden deal could vault Rodriguez past his predecessor. As per the reports, the head coach has been given a five-year contract worth an average of $3.7 million. He will be making $3.5 million in 2025. But wait, that’s not all. Rodriguez has been assured of a salary hike of $100,000 each year until reaching $3.9 million in 2029. It’s time to bring in Brown’s numbers.

The former head coach, who was making $4 million annually at Jacksonville State, is aiming to push the Mountaineers toward the levels they reached during his first stint in Morgantown in 2001-07. That’s the key to making his paycheck fatter. In the process, if he needs to sip on some motivational juice, Baker can help him. After all, he is convinced of the fact that Rodriguez is the one, the game changer. 

“He’s hit the ground running. He’s full of energy and fire. I say this all the time, if he’s lost anything off his fastball I would have hated to see it 20 years ago because he definitely works hard, coaches hard but he cares hard. He cares about the people in the program and so far it’s been a good fit,” Baker had said recently. 

Not to forget, Rich Rodriguez’s era still holds the record of the highest season ticket sales since 2013. Talking about adapting to the current climate and the turnover that occurs at the Group of Five level? Rodriguez’s stint at Jacksonville State and his 27-10 record will come to his help. The brakes are off in Morgantown, the head coach is charging forward.