Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez went 198–140–2 as a head coach, 1988–2026, at Salem, Glenville State, West Virginia, Michigan, Arizona and Jacksonville State. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 3–3); by them his record is 197–140–2. Share
Nine seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1988 at Salem; 1990–96 at Glenville State; 2022 at Jacksonville State (on file under another coach). They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 198–140–2 career
- Seasons
- 29
- Schools
- 6
- Final AP top 10
- 2 seasons
- Born
- May 24, 1963
- Alma mater
- West Virginia 1986
- Best season
- 2005 11–1, No. 5
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Salem * | 2–8 | T–5th | |||
| 1989: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 1990 | Glenville State * | 1–7–1 | T–6th | |||
| 1991 | Glenville State * | 4–5–1 | T–5th | |||
| 1992 | Glenville State * | 6–4 | 3rd | |||
| 1993 | Glenville State * | 10–3 | 1st | NAIA Division I Championship L | ||
| 1994 | Glenville State * | 8–3 | T–1st | NAIA Division I Quarterfinal L | ||
| 1995 | Glenville State * | 8–2 | T–1st | |||
| 1996 | Glenville State * | 6–4 | T–1st | |||
| 1997–00: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2001 | West Virginia | 3–8 | 7th | |||
| 2002 | West Virginia | 9–4 | 2nd | Continental Tire Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2003 | West Virginia | 8–5 | T–1st | Gator Bowl L | ||
| 2004 | West Virginia | 8–4 | T–1st | Gator Bowl L | ||
| 2005 | West Virginia | 11–1 | 1st | Sugar Bowl W | 5 | |
| 2006 | West Virginia | 11–2 | T–2nd | Gator Bowl W | 10 | |
| 2007 | West Virginia | 10–2 | T–1st | Fiesta (not coached) | ||
| 2008 | Michigan | 3–9 | T–9th | |||
| 2009 | Michigan | 5–7 | T–10th | |||
| 2010 | Michigan | 7–6 | T–7th | Gator Bowl L | ||
| 2011: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2012 | Arizona | 8–5 | 4th (South) | New Mexico Bowl W | ||
| 2013 | Arizona | 8–5 | 4th (South) | AdvoCare V100 Bowl W | ||
| 2014 | Arizona | 10–4 | 1st (South) | Fiesta Bowl L | 19 | |
| 2015 | Arizona | 7–6 | 5th (South) | New Mexico Bowl W | ||
| 2016 | Arizona | 3–9 | 6th (South) | |||
| 2017 | Arizona | 7–6 | 3rd (South) | Foster Farms Bowl L | ||
| 2018–21: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2022 | Jacksonville State * | 9–2 | 1st | |||
| 2023 | Jacksonville State | 9–4 | 3rd | New Orleans Bowl W | ||
| 2024 | Jacksonville State | 9–4 | 1st | Cure (not coached) | ||
| 2025 | West Virginia | 4–8 | T–13th | |||
| 2026 | West Virginia | 4–3 (Wikipedia: 3–3) | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Dan Mozes2006 Rimington Trophy- Grant WileyConsensus All‑American, 2003
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 68 | 24–44 | 35% |
| Against top-10 teams | 22 | 6–16 | 27% |
| Against rivals | 61 | 32–29 | 52% |
| Conference games | 155 | 80–75 | 52% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 12 | 6–6 | 50% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 85 | 46–39 | 54% |
| At home | 130 | 88–42 | 68% |
| On the road | 101 | 49–52 | 49% |
| At neutral sites | 15 | 7–8 | 47% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 136 | 108–28 | 79% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 110 | 36–74 | 33% |
His own 246 games on file, 2001–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Friedgen 2001–2007 | 4–4 | Maryland | 8 | |
| Kyle Whittingham 2008–2025 | 4–4 | Utah | 8 | |
| Greg Schiano 2001–2007 | 7–0 | Rutgers | 7 | |
| Mike MacIntyre 2013–2024 | 6–1 | Colorado, Florida International | 7 | |
| Larry Coker 2001–2015 | 3–3 | Miami, UTSA | 6 | |
| Todd Graham 2012–2017 | 2–4 | Arizona State | 6 | |
| Jim Mora 2012–2017 | 1–5 | UCLA | 6 | |
| Randy Edsall 2004–2010 | 5–0 | UConn | 5 | |
| Frank Beamer 2001–2005 | 2–3 | Virginia Tech | 5 | |
| Mark Dantonio 2005–2010 | 2–3 | Cincinnati, Michigan State | 5 |
Rich Rodriguez’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburghseries | 8 | 5–3 |
| Marylandseries | 8 | 4–4 |
| Utahseries | 8 | 4–4 |
| Rutgersseries | 7 | 7–0 |
| Coloradoseries | 7 | 6–1 |
| Syracuseseries | 7 | 6–1 |
| Arizona Stateseries | 7 | 2–5 |
| East Carolinaseries | 6 | 6–0 |
How he was hired
- Hired by West Virginia for the 2025 season from Jacksonville State, where he was head coach. He had a prior connection to the school.
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | West Virginia () | Head coach | |
| 1986 | Salem | Defensive backs and special teams coach | |
| 1987 | Salem | Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | |
| 1988 | Salem | Head coach | |
| 1989 | West Virginia | Outside linebackers coach | |
| 1990–96 | Glenville State | Head coach | |
| 1997–98 | Tulane | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 1999–2000 | Clemson | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 2001–07 | West Virginia | Head coach | |
| 2008–10 | Michigan | Head coach | |
| 2012–17 | Arizona | Head coach | |
| 2019 | Ole Miss | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 2021 | Louisiana–Monroe | Assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 2022–24 | Jacksonville State | Head coach | |
| 2025–present | West Virginia | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Don NehlenWest Virginia
- Tommy BowdenTulane, Clemson
- Chris ScelfoTulane
- Matt LukeOle Miss
- Terry BowdenUL Monroe
Assistants who became head coaches
- Dean HoodEastern Kentucky, Murray State
- Mike SpringstonWest Virginia Tech, Charleston (WV)
- Tony GibsonMarshall
- Bill StewartWest Virginia, VMI
- Rod SmithIllinois, Jacksonville State
- Todd GrahamRice, Tulsa, Pittsburgh, Arizona State, Hawai’i
- Tyson VeidtBluffton
- Butch JonesCentral Michigan, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Arkansas State
- Garin JusticeConcord
- Jay HopsonSouthern Miss, Alcorn State
- Scott ShaferSyracuse
- Greg RobinsonSyracuse
- and 5 more
Worked under (5)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Nehlen | West Virginia | 1989 | Outside linebackers coach | |
| Tommy Bowden | Tulane | 1997–98 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Chris Scelfo | Tulane | 1998 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Tommy Bowden | Clemson | 1999–2000 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Matt Luke | Ole Miss | 2019 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Terry Bowden | UL Monroe | 2021 | Assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (17)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Hood | Glenville State, 1990–93: defensive coordinator | Eastern Kentucky, Murray State | |
| Mike Springston | Glenville State, 1991: offensive coordinator | West Virginia Tech, Charleston (WV) | |
| Tony Gibson | Glenville State, 1996: defensive backs coach; West Virginia, 2001–07: defensive backs coach; Michigan, 2008–10: assistant head coach and special teams and defensive backs coach; Arizona, 2012: assistant head coach and special teams and safeties coach | Marshall | |
| Bill Stewart | West Virginia, 2001–07: quarterbacks, tight ends and special teams coach | West Virginia, VMI | |
| Rod Smith | West Virginia, 2001: graduate assistant; 2007: quarterbacks coach; Michigan, 2008–10: quarterbacks coach; Arizona, 2012–17: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Jacksonville State, 2022–24: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Illinois, Jacksonville State | |
| Todd Graham | West Virginia, 2001: linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator; 2002: co-defensive coordinator, safeties coach and recruiting coordinator | Rice, Tulsa, Pittsburgh, Arizona State, Hawai’i | |
| Tyson Veidt | West Virginia, 2004–05: graduate assistant | Bluffton | |
| Butch Jones | West Virginia, 2005–06: wide receivers coach | Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Arkansas State | |
| Garin Justice | West Virginia, 2006–07: graduate assistant | Concord | |
| Jay Hopson | Michigan, 2008–09: linebackers coach | Southern Miss, Alcorn State | |
| Scott Shafer | Michigan, 2008: defensive coordinator | Syracuse | |
| Greg Robinson | Michigan, 2009–10: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Syracuse | |
| Donte Williams | Arizona, 2016: cornerbacks coach | USC | |
| Brian Knorr | Arizona, 2017: special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach | Ohio | |
| Scott Boone | Arizona, 2017: linebackers coach | Randolph Macon | |
| Jack Bicknell Jr. | West Virginia, 2025: offensive line coach | Louisiana Tech | |
| Larry Porter | West Virginia, 2025: running backs coach | Memphis |
Other assistants under him (15)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Herb Hand | Glenville State, 1994–96: defensive coordinator; West Virginia, 2001–06: tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Calvin Magee | West Virginia, 2001–06: running backs coach; 2005–06: offensive coordinator and running backs coach; 2007: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and running backs coach; Michigan, 2008–10: offensive coordinator and running backs coach; Arizona, 2012–17: associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach; Jacksonville State, 2022: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach | |
| Chad Walker | West Virginia, 2001: graduate assistant | |
| Jeff Casteel | West Virginia, 2001: defensive line coach; 2002: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; 2003–07: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; Arizona, 2012–15: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; West Virginia, 2025: bandits | |
| Phil Elmassian | West Virginia, 2001: defensive coordinator | |
| Paul Randolph | West Virginia, 2002: defensive line and special teams coach | |
| Travis Trickett | West Virginia, 2003–06: student assistant; 2025–26: SOA | |
| Jahmile Addae | West Virginia, 2007: graduate assistant; Michigan, 2008–09: graduate assistant; Arizona, 2013–15: defensive analyst; 2016–17: defensive backs coach | |
| Fred Jackson | Michigan, 2008–10: running backs coach | |
| Matt Caponi | Arizona, 2012: graduate assistant; 2013–15: safeties coach | |
| Robert Anae | Arizona, 2012: offensive line coach | |
| Jim Michalczik | Arizona, 2013–17: offensive line coach | |
| Marcel Yates | Arizona, 2016–17: defensive coordinator | |
| Zac Alley | Jacksonville State, 2022–23: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; West Virginia, 2025–26: assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Luke Olson | Jacksonville State, 2024: defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Arizona | head coachbonuses up to $2,025,000; $25,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $6,487,500 | $6,031,563 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Arizona | head coachbonuses up to $2,025,000; $50,000 in bonuses paid | $2,860,000 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Arizona | head coachbonuses up to $2,025,000; $650,000 in bonuses paid | $3,238,844 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Arizona | head coachbonuses up to $2,125,000 | $3,298,500 USA Today | |
| 2013 | Arizona | head coachbonuses up to $610,000 | $2,150,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Arizona | head coachbonuses up to $525,000 | $1,500,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $300,000 | $2,525,280 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2009 | Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $300,000 | $2,521,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2008 | Michigan | head coach | $2,500,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2007 | West Virginia | head coachbonuses up to $385,000 | $1,803,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2006 | West Virginia | head coachbonuses up to $415,000 | $1,100,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Rodriguez’s teams went for it on 23% of fourth downs and on 37% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 39% of plays and took 22.7 seconds a play, 2004–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 11 g | West Virginia | 16 of 85 19% | 29% | 31% | 23.3 | +0.02 | |
| 2005 12 g | West Virginia | 15 of 86 17% | 42% | 26% | 26.4 | +0.03 | |
| 2006 13 g | West Virginia | 8 of 64 13% | 25% | 30% | 27.6 | +0.18 | |
| 2007 13 g | West Virginia | 15 of 81 19% | 33% | 31% | 25.6 | +0.07 | |
| 2008 12 g | Michigan | 20 of 116 17% | 34% | 45% | 24.6 | −0.21 | |
| 2009 12 g | Michigan | 18 of 85 21% | 40% | 43% | 22.3 | −0.04 | |
| 2010 13 g | Michigan | 28 of 85 33% | 39% | 42% | 21.6 | +0.13 | |
| 2012 13 g | Arizona | 23 of 96 24% | 33% | 51% | 19.0 | +0.10 | |
| 2013 13 g | Arizona | 28 of 104 27% | 32% | 38% | 20.5 | +0.08 | |
| 2014 14 g | Arizona | 26 of 133 20% | 32% | 53% | 19.6 | +0.07 | |
| 2015 13 g | Arizona | 27 of 103 26% | 37% | 50% | 20.2 | +0.11 | |
| 2016 10 g | Arizona | 18 of 75 24% | 35% | 40% | 23.5 | +0.01 | |
| 2017 13 g | Arizona | 17 of 85 20% | 26% | 35% | 24.0 | +0.19 | |
| 2023 13 g | Jacksonville State | 27 of 116 23% | 40% | 37% | 20.6 | −0.02 | |
| 2024 14 g | Jacksonville State | 23 of 96 24% | 37% | 35% | 23.4 | +0.15 | |
| 2025 12 g | West Virginia | 41 of 118 35% | 56% | 42% | 22.0 | −0.07 | |
| 2026 7 g | West Virginia | 15 of 49 31% | 56% | 30% | 22.0 | +0.18 | |
| All 208 g | 365 of 1577 23% | 37% | 39% | 22.7 | +0.06 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.