Not Iraq. This:
The University of Alabama appeared to move much closer to hiring West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez on Thursday night.
While day-long negotiations in Tuscaloosa between the two sides did not conclude with an agreement in writing, representatives of both sides said that the university will deliver a contract to Rodriguez on Friday morning.
Rodriguez spent the day in Jacksonville, Fla., where he participated in a press conference to promote the Toyota Gator Bowl between the Mountaineers and Georgia Tech on Jan. 1.
Rodriguez returned to Morgantown, W.Va., on Thursday night and will have the contract faxed to him on Friday morning.
Yeah, I know. He is just a coach, and he gets paid way more than he should, and blah blah blah.
I like a winning program, and I like that a native West Virginian was our coach, and I thought he did a good job keeping his kids in line.
BTW- The NCAA really needs to make it not allowed to do this sort of stuff until after the Bowls.
Jack Roy
“DisTaster” intentional?
Andrew
Of all the places in the world less appealing to me than West Virginia, Alabama is only beaten out by Mississippi.
Rex
Hopefully the alums and boosters approve of this choice, otherwise he might meet the same fate as Jim Price, of “Roll Tide!” fame while spanking a stripper’s hind-end. I don’t know if Ryan Leaf has anymore room in his chateau for wayward coaches.
Moral of the story: get it in writing before you run off to Pensacola to celebrate.
Vladi G
Why? They’re meaningless exhibition games. Only one counts.
Sucks to be in your position, John. My school lost our basketball coach to Kansas a couple of years ago. And while I hate Bail $elfish with a passion (well, I used to hate him, now I just laugh at first round losses to Bradley and Bucknell), there aren’t that many Kansases out there. No disrespect, but West Virginia isn’t Alabama when it comes to college football. Still, bummer.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Can’t do that, JC. Know why? Because Signing Day comes about a month after the final bowl ends.
So, if you want to change the timeframe for recruiting coaches, you’ll have to change the timrframe for recruiting players. Won’t happen.
Vladi G
See, now you don’t have anything to worry about.
Vladi G
Oops, here’s the correct link.
Jon
I sympathize – Alabama went through more or less the same thing with Dennis (The Weasel) Franchione. The only thing I can think of is that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to stop the bleeding at this point – the program has been in disarray ever since. (It says something about the Crimson Tide that a 10-win season can still be “disarray.”)
Now that Urban Meyer has broken the seal on running the spread option in the SEC, look for Bama to take to it the way they did the wishbone in 1971. They’re going to need a new QB first, though – a big burly dropback passer has no place in this kind of system. (A lesson California has not learned yet.) The funny thing, though, is that looking at the diagrams on ESPN.com, the WVU spread is basically just the FSU Fast-Break that Charlie Ward ran to a Heisman in 1993, with emphasis on no-huddle and the run. There’s truly nothing new under the sun…but Rodriguez runs his version better than anyone I can think of, and his no-nonsense approach to discipline is long overdue and welcome in Tuscaloosa.
Njorl
Why would anyone leave an established football powerhouse like West Virginia for a loser program like Alabama?
Elvis Elvisberg
ESPN bottom line just said Rodriguez staying at WVU. Here’s the story.
Looking like a Billy Beane-type situation. Truckloads of money are nice, and all, but not everything.
jg
I can’t stand college football. Not the game, the game rocks. I’m just tired of having to hear the same shit every year about the national champion and the rankings and the BCS and how they need a playoff. The same arguments for and against are rehashed every year at this time. They should just name a champ at the beginning of the year and them let them all play in peace. Since the champs selection is based on only 10% real world activity and 90% voters opinion does it really matter when the champ is named?
Punchy
R-Squared is staying at W-Dub. Thus, I’m sure Slaton just signed up for Fall classes…
Congrats on keeping the best new f-ball coach in-house. I’m guessing your school just agreed to some outrageous new salary…but hey…he’s staying.
Jon
Well, that was nice while it lasted.
I think the commenter at the incomparable EDSBS.com put it best:
“West Virginia’s Rodriguez to Talk To Alabama about Getting Raise at West Virginia.”
=)
ET
Well he turned it down, but the good news is that Shula is still not going to be the coach anymore.
Roll Tide!!!