I'd rather see Butch Jones or Todd Grahm hired. I think some new blood is in order. With the players they have now, a good young coach could really get a jump on a great career. And both of the names I mentioned are very good young coaches. It would keep the same system in place and wouldn't require a couple of years of recruiting to get 'your' players in place. Another coach running the spread would diversify the offense a bit too. I've always thought the Mountaineers under Rodriguez were one dimensional, and when a defense has that dimension figured out the Mountaineers lose. I don't see Holiday making WVU as competitive as they should be next year. Maybe a couple of years down the road, but I'll reserve judgement until I see what assistants are hired if Doc gets the head coaching job. I hope not. But we'll see.

i merged all RR threads with last posts dated 12/17 or newer into this thread.

From the newsandsentinal.com.

"John ‘Doc’ Holliday, who was an assistant football coach at West Virginia University from 1979 to 1999, has emerged as WVU’s leading candidate to succeed Rich Rodriguez as the head coach of the Mountaineers, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel has learned."

I'm not sure this means that "WVU is poised to hire Holliday". It only means he is the leading candidate. Maybe they will figure out something else. So many rumors flying around.

Fans have their claws out over coach's Wolverine switcharoo
By Jake Stump
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter
By Zack Pettit
Daily Mail staff
December 17, 2007

To Mountaineer fans, what Rich Rodriguez did was the ultimate act of betryal.

The WVU football coach's decision to flee Morgantown for Michigan lit up Charleston-area watering holes Sunday.

At a crowded, smoky Cold Spot in Dunbar, several followers of the blue-and-gold machine say they felt stabbed in the back by a man many West Virginians held in high regard.

Their heated sentiment seemed enough to burn through the ice and snow outside.

"He turned his back on his players, fans and the state of West Virginia," said Marcus Lorentz between sips of Miller Lite. "He's leaving with his tail between his legs after that loss (to Pitt)."

Rodriguez issued his letter of resignation to a graduate assistant on Sunday and didn't speak to any WVU officials about his leaving. The Michigan Wolverines team was expected to officially announce Rodriguez as new head coach today at a press conference.

Rodriguez, his wife and their two children left for Michigan on Sunday from Morgantown Municipal Airport, where the coach was greeted by a chorus of jeers and insults.

The same probably would have happened in Charleston.

"He's not welcome back here," said James Doakes, 39, of Nitro. "What he did is not representative of West Virginia. At least Beilein did it with a little bit of class."

Rodriguez is the second WVU coach to be wooed to Michigan this year. Former Mountaineer basketball coach John Beilein left for Michigan in April.

Doakes doesn't believe Rodriguez will be as successful in Michigan. He led WVU to four Big East championships and a 60-26 record in his seven seasons as head coach.

Some fans don't think he'll receive the same level of respect there, either.

"He was treated like a king here," Doakes said. "I don't think it'll be the same for him."

Sporting a WVU baseball cap, Frankie Gilmore called it a dark day in Mountaineer history. He says it's best to try to move on without Rodriguez and think about the future.

Gilmore figured it might be better for Rodriguez and the team to go their separate ways after failing to make the national championship game.

"I'm trying really hard to not be bitter about it," said Gilmore, 37, of Charleston. "But it's hard. I'm a strong believer in karma. This will come back and bite him on the (butt).

"A respectable man doesn't do something like this before a big bowl game. It's probably a good thing he doesn't coach the Fiesta Bowl because our fans would boo him more than Oklahoma."

Some patrons didn't seem the least bit concerned about week 15 of NFL action, which was being displayed on several TVs in front of them.

They just couldn't chase away the thought of Rodriguez leaving the Mountaineers before their Jan. 2 showdown with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Frothing cold glasses of brew seemed to only add fuel to their thoughts.

"When you think about it, Rodriguez was a hothead," said Jeff Wilkins, 28, of South Charleston. "Granted, he's a good coach. As a human being, he's a jerk. At the end of the day, we don't need someone like that."

At Murad's in Charleston, early afternoon casual conversations turned bitter and cold right along with the temperature outside.

Ty Chapman, 25, of Scott Depot, was angry but also saw the silver lining.

"It is what it is," he said. "If he doesn't want to be here, then we don't want you.

"I just can't believe he did it to this class."

At Murad's, Chapman contemplated how Rodriguez's departure might hurt the chances of star quarter back Pat White and running back Steve Slaton returning to the squad for their senior years.

Chapman is confident that the Mountaineers will survive.

"No one, including Rodriguez, is bigger than the school or football program," he said, "and with $4 million and a new coach, I think we'll be OK."

Chapman went on to give some departing words for Rodriguez and the Wolverines.

"I hope they lose to Ohio State three times in a row and he gets canned."

This article appeared in the Charleston Daily Mail on Monday, December 17, 2007.