Grading West Virginia's Hire of Rich Rodriguez: Did Wren Baker Get it Right?

West Virginia has its guy. Rich Rodriguez is on his way back to Morgantown to coach the Mountaineers, taking over for the recently fired Neal Brown.

Did Wren Baker and the WVU administration make the right move? Here are our initial thoughts, along with a letter grade for the hire.

Schuyler Callihan: B

Football hasn't been the same in Morgantown since Rich Rod left in 2007, that's a fact. Sure, there have been some moments here and there where WVU had an exciting offense and skill players under Bill Stewart and Dana Holgorsen, but it was nothing like the success Rodriguez had.

Bringing the excitement back to the program alone holds a lot of weight in this grade that I'm dishing out. In this era of college football, you need fan and booster support more than ever in order to be able to compete. Rodriguez has that. He has strong relationships with some of West Virginia's biggest donors, and he has the support of just about every big-name player associated with the program.

As far as the on-field product is concerned, I'm not exactly sure how it will look. I mean, we all know the style in which the Mountaineers will play, but will he be able to lead this team to a Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff during his second stint? I'm not sure.

Although the Big 12 no longer features Oklahoma and Texas, it's still an incredibly competitive league with no gimme wins. Back in Rodriguez's final few years at WVU in his first go-around, the Big East had a handful of cupcakes once Miami, Virginia Tech, and others bolted.

But again, I'll go back to the support of the boosters. If they are truly committed to assisting the football program with Rodriguez back at the helm, maybe WVU does land a better pool of talent out of high school and the portal, closing the talent gap of those projected to typically field a better roster.

I wouldn't call it a grand slam hire, but I do think it's one that will get West Virginia football back on track.

Christopher Hall: C

Rich Rodriguez led West Virginia back into the national spotlight during his tenure in Morgantown.

It fed a fanbase clamoring for a national title since the program’s first appearance in 1988.

Rodriguez was 11-9 against AP ranked opponents in his six of his seven seasons at the helm (not counting the 2001 season), but only five of those wins finished inside the top 25. 5-9 is not bad even though three of the losses ended the season unranked.

There is more nuance to his time in Morgantown.

The expectations that came with a 9-4 season in just his second year leading the program might have been unfair to ask for consistency through the next two years, but early success comes with the pressure to deliver.

In 2004, the Mountaineers lost the final two games of the regular season, falling to Boston College at home before losing the Big East outright title with a loss at Pitt. Then, went and lost the Gator Bowl for the second consecutive season.

2005 dawned a new era with Pat White and Steve Slaton becoming legends and they will forever remain in Mountaineer lore. The ‘05 season is arguably the best season in history, primarily, because they ended the season with a 38-35 win against SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs for the biggest bowl win in school history (Sugar Bowl) for the program’s third 11-win season in program history.

Big East rivals Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech bolted for the ACC by the 2005 season with Tech and Miami leaving following the 2003 season and BC dipping after 2004.

With some key league members gone, Rodriguez went 10-2 in ’06 and ’07. There was high optimism those two seasons WVU would fight its way back to the national championship with an easier schedule yet came up short both season despite having White and Slate and with key additions Owen Schmidt and Noel Devine (‘07).

Obviously, the most frustrating season was his final year. Losing to South Florida in September but then received help nationally to move to No. 2 and, well, we know what happened the final game of that season.

He never got WVU over the hump. He never even went to a national title in a watered-down Big East and the only outright conference title was in ’05.

I’m aware West Virginia struggled under Neal Brown and fans are eager to return to the rankings - there’s a chance Rodriguez will do that and that's why it's a C... It's expected.

The ultimate goal for Mountaineer fans is to finally win a national championship. It’s the 15th winningest program in the country and the winningest program without a national championship and after coming close twice ('88, 93 Sugar Bowl might have a share if they had won), the taste still lingers for a national championship.

The redemption story for me is a national championship. This might be unfair, but he had the best opportunity during the Pat White years and could not get it done. A debt is due.

This can still be a success for Rodriguez if he wins the Big 12 and an appearance in the playoffs, and a greater success would win at least on playoff game.

The path is much harder this time around. The new Big 12 is tougher than the depleted Big East and the pressure will be greater this time around with the fan's nostalgia for the Pat White era.

I'm not confident he can win a conference title, but if he can, this hire is a B+.