The business aspect of the game is just as brutal as the action on the gridiron. The front offices are involved in their own little time trial. It appears that the same powers in West Virginia reached their tipping point with now-excommunicated Neal Brown. After an underwhelming 5-year stint that saw him lead the team to a 37-35 overall and 25-28 in the Big 12, Brown has been given the proverbial boot—he was fired midseason after the Mountaineers lost 52-15 to Texas Tech to finish the season 6-6. Albeit the Mountaineers’ Frisco Bowl appearance is still imminent, the discourse has already moved on to weighing up a successor.

Two contenders for the helm have been floated about. While both are currently biding time in their disposition at other programs, calls from the Mountaineers are an enticing prospect, especially for one particular candidate. West Virginia insider and YouTuber Justin “Couz” Walker leveraged his intel on where things stand in the hiring process.

In an appearance on the College Football Addiction YouTube Channel on December 9, Couz was asked, “We’ll talk some some rumors, some interviews, some other stuff that has happened on the back end, too. But it feels like we’re maybe down to two candidates. Can you talk to me about the direction you feel like West Virginia is trending toward?”

To this, Couz replied, “I think it’s trending towards either Andy Kotelnicki, the offensive coordinator at Penn State, or Rich Rodriguez coming back home to coach the Mountaineers.” 

“Obviously, younger fans know [Rodriguez] from his days at Jacksonville State right now, winning the Conference USA. But he was overseeing the West Virginia program from the early 2000s up through 2007, when they were…West Virginia was on the national map competing for…they were one win away from playing for National Title in 2007. So, really the three best years ever under West Virginia or at West Virginia football. 2005, 2006, 2007, he was the head coach for that team.”

“So, it’s looking more and more like there’s a possibility he could come back home and rewrite the story,” said the YouTuber, akin to what Pat McAfee had said a few days earlier. But before we get to that…

Notably, hours before reports surfaced stating how Kotelnicki was no longer in the running. He has reportedly reiterated his commitment to Penn State, and even took to X to announce on December 9, “Beyond lucky to be a part of the Penn State Football Family. Still a lot to accomplish this season and I am looking forward to what 2025 has in store for our program!” 

As for McAfee’s update, last week he had revealed, “[Rich Rodriguez’s] name is up there now. His name is now being a part of the conversation, and I think it has been for the last few years. It’s crazy. That would be one of the wildest things in the history of sports, let alone college football.” 

But if you ask the man of the hour himself, he’s sure there’s no such developments happening. After Jacksonville State’s lopsided 52-12 win over Western Kentucky in the Conference-USA title game on December 6, the head coach had stated in the post-game news conference, “It’s all rumors, so I don’t know anything about [the interview reports]. My focus has been on these guys and Jax State, and it’ll continue to be. If any coach gets rumored for a job, it’s probably because his players and his coaches are doing pretty good. If I’m rumored for any job, then it’s because these guys and their teammates are doing really good.”

When asked if he had any meeting scheduled with WVU in the coming weeks, the 61-year-old further stated, “This week coming up? No, I have no interviews. I have nothing scheduled other than I’m going to have a great day with Miss Rita and the kids and Roxy and Rambo tomorrow. Great day on Sunday watching a little film, and then on Monday, starting to get ready for this great bowl game that we’re going to be in in a couple of weeks.”

But despite denial, if the pieces fall in place for his homecoming, Walker and other fans will hope they can ultimately land their target. Rodriguez has tangible success and silverware to show for it at Jax State. However, his resume runs deep, with wrinkles from his previous escapades at WVU.

Why Rich Rodriguez could transpire to be a home-run hire for WVU

Rich Rodriguez wasn’t just any name in a long lineage of coaches at the school. He essentially put the nation on notice while in charge of the Mountaineers. Couz self-proclaimed that the three best years in the modern history of the program were under Rich Rod’s leadership. This stint included West Virginia being on the principle of the national title in 2007.

Not only does a figure of Rodriguez’s ilk help on-field proceedings, but it’ll ruffle features on the recruitment front too. With the advent of NIL and revenue sharing, WVU has sort of fallen behind the eight-ball relative to their adversaries. Pat McAfee is perhaps the most popular and opulent West Virginia alum and fan. He has publicly supported the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. That means if he’s hired, McAfee and other “mega-donors” will confidently pump money into the program’s NIL funds.

There’s a plethora of reasons suggesting Rich Rod will be the apt hire for the West Virginia Mountaineers. As the process picks up steam, the fanbase will seek to move past the peril they experienced under the previous regime. A new dawn beckons over The Mountain State.