Deion Sanders Showed Huge Respect for Rich Rodriguez After Facing West Virginia

When Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks, everyone listens. His opinion carries a lot of weight in the football industry and rightfully so, given the type of playing career he had.

Immediately following West Virginia's 29-22 win over Coach Prime's Buffs on Saturday, he shared a heartfelt exchange at midfield with WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez and then praised the work he has done with this team in his postgame press conference.

"I love what their head coach is doing right now. He’s giving them that attitude that they need, and I’m a big fan of his," Sanders said.

After losing five straight games, four by way of a blowout, it looked like WVU was staring right into the face of a 2-10 record. Over the past three weeks, they've played much better football and have made some strides on the offensive side of the ball with true freshman Scotty Fox Jr. taking over as the starter.

Earlier in the week, Coach Prime gave Rich Rod all the respect in the world, labeling him as one of the best to ever do it.

“Tough team. Fighting back. Started out rough, but now they’re playing the type of ball their coach is desiring them to play. Coach Rodriguez is a coaching legend. I respect the heck out of him. He’s back and he’s coaching with a vengeance. Big East, PAC 12, Conference USA Coach of the Year, NAIA Coach of the Year. He is a coaching legend to me, and I love the passion and tenacity… the mental and physical toughness he coaches with.”

It's been a rough season, but these last few weeks show why Rodriguez has had success at just about every coaching stop throughout his career. He knows how to get the most out of what he has, and once he's settled in at a job for a couple of years, things typically take off. The Mountaineers still have a long way to go, but they're certainly trending in the right direction.

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