The Candidates - West Virginia Coaching Search
Posted by Shannon on December 17, 2007
In a few minutes, Rich Rodriguez will be announced officially as the new head coach at Michigan. At the same time, West Virginia officials will continue to find a replacement for the once favored son as the team prepares for a Fiesta Bowl game, in which the former coach wishes to coach.
Some names are already being bantered about as possible replacements for Rodriguez. They’ll have some work to do in terms of recruiting, but they’ll also have a full arsenal of talent going into next season. Here are some thoughts on the names being discussed and what they could or could not add to West Virginia. Keep in mind that many of the names being mentioned are the “media-favorites,” meaning they are names but may not be the best fit for the program.
Terry Bowden: The West Virginia alum and former Auburn coach has already mentioned his interest in getting back into coaching after spending the past decade as an analyst, mostly for ABC, and has said the West Virginia is his dream job. For many Mountaineer fans, Bowden is their dream coach. However, Bowden may not be the best fit for the program. He has not coached since 1998 when he resigned six games into the season. The game has changed since Bowden was last in the coaching ranks it’s now faster with the spread being used to equalize teams. Also, many of the players Bowden would be recruiting, if he gets the jobs, were only eight when he last coached. This would be a difficult hire and should not happen.
Tommy Bowden: The Clemson coach has been mentioned by some, including The Sporting News which first broke word Friday about Rodriguez talking to Michigan. However, after spurning offers from Arkansas earlier this coaching search and receiving a pay increase in the process it may not make sense for Bowden to head to Morgantown.
Doc Holliday: The former West Virginia, North Carolina State and current Florida assistant has often been considered as a possible head coach in previous years. Would he want to leave Florida to return to Morgantown? He would be a popular choice by many Mountaineer fans and would help in regards of recruiting.
Jimbo Fisher: The West Virginia native recently signed a deal to become the head coach-elect, so to speak, at Florida State. He would become the head coach when Bobby Bowden retires. It would seem that Fisher would not want to leave that opportunity, which could arrive in the next year. Also, West Virginia may not be willing to pay Fisher’s $2.5 million buyout.
Todd Graham: This could be a name that wins the day. Graham, a former West Virginia assistant under Rodriguez, led Rice to its first bowl game in decades last year and is now taking Tulsa to the GMAC Bowl. He is an up-and-coming young coach. Could be interesting to see if he gets a call.
Skip Holtz: Speaking of another up-and-coming coach, Holtz is making a name for himself at ECU. He runs a similar offense and has recruited well to Greenville, N.C. Holtz could be willing to listen to a BCS school for the right offer.
Regardless, West Virginia doesn’t have a lot of time to make this choice. In two months is national signing day and with many recruits likely to consider other options - some already have - it’s imperative for West Virginia to bring in a quality coach, and the right coach, as soon as possible.
December 18, 2007 at 9:54 am
WVU Athletic Director needs to hit a home run after the public relations nightmare that will result when the true information about his talks with Coach Rod on Saturday before deciding to leave for Ann Arbor hit the press. I think the Athletic Director will be to blame in the long run if he blow it on this hire. Coach Rod, congrats for receiving the promotion, but no congratulatory remarks for the way your handled your exit. You due owe it to WV, fans, media, and alumni a press conference thanking everyone for their support and just letting everyone know you could not turn down this type of offer. Why do you feel you had to slide out the side door of the football stadium letting your players field questions for the media after their practice? I have no issues when a man takes a better job, but in my business I can’t slide out the door without feeling the repercussions and either should you, especially sliding out the side door of a state that have given you so much. You do owe us a common courtesy for raising the ticket prices and coming up with private donations to give you an $800K pay increase last year. I know some people say you don’t owe WV anything but when you get paid $1.8M in WV by the fans and alumni, you do owe us respect.
December 18, 2007 at 10:05 am
You’re right. Ed Pastilong and Gang need a home run after what has occurred in the past week. I hold that this is not completely all on Rodriguez - though he owns the blame for the way he left and the manner in which this occurred.
Some other candidates that are being discussed:
Bud Foster - The Virginia Tech defensive coordinator just signed a contract extension with Virginia Tech, but school officials there expect Foster to be in contention for the WVU position. Foster would bring a great defense to West Virginia, however would some fans feel dirty pulling for a coach that used to coach for the arch enemy. This one could have some legs by the end of the week and look for Foster to be at the top of the list.
Tom Bradley - The defensive coordinator at Penn State could be in line for the position. As some have reported, Bradley is not a gimme to replace Joe Paterno when he retires. Bradley has a strong recruiting presence in Western Pennsylvania, which is a key recruiting area for West Virginia.
December 18, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Terry Bowden is where he belongs…in the booth.
WV will be sorry if they go there/
December 18, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I agree. The last person that needs to be hired at West Virginia is Terry Bowden.
He has been out of coaching for 10 years and he quit when things got rough during the middle of the season in 1998.
December 19, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Shannon, your last comment put me in a position that I don’t often find myself– defending a current/former Auburn football coach. Dig back a little deeper and you will see that Terry didn’t quit of his own accord. Shoved out/threatened would be a better way of describing it. He got caught hanky pankying with THE big-time booster and defacto leader of the AU football program at the time’s daughter. She, by the way, was an Auburn employee, too. To understand the fire he was in you would have to be very familiar with the lay of the land in Auburn. He was forced out to save face and remove an ugly situation from the university. If I remember correctly, the football team wasn’t doing very well at the time, either.
Good luck with your search!
December 21, 2007 at 7:37 am
Just as an aside, I wonder how Michigan will take to Players like Packman and Henry terrorizing Ann Arbor. Michigan is a highly regarded learning institution with a reputation.
December 21, 2007 at 10:30 am
I think Rodriguez learned his lesson not to recruit those types of players. He caught some backlash with Henry and later with Pacman Jones. So, I think he’ll be smart with whom he recruits, but who knows.