Rich Rodriguez is Already Sold on Pat White and Noel Devine’s Coaching Potential

Roughly 20 years ago, West Virginia had one of the most electrifying offenses in the country, led by quarterback Pat White. He was a little ahead of his time as far as being able to do just as much damage with his legs as his arms, and at that point in time, defenses weren't accustomed to seeing that.

White's resume speaks for itself, but for whatever reason, he doesn't get brought up nearly as much as he should in the pantheon of college football greats. He guided the Mountaineers to two massive bowl wins that no one thought to be possible, taking down Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, just weeks after falling short of a national championship appearance.

Unfortunately, his NFL career didn't go quite the same, but again, he was ahead of his time, and NFL coaches didn't really know how to utilize smaller, dual-threat quarterbacks like they do today. His playing days came to an end after a stint with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2014, and just a few years later, he got his start in coaching as the quarterbacks coach at Alcorn State. Since he's spent time at South Florida, Alabama State, and a pair of seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Not long after Rich Rodriguez officially returned to WVU, White joined his staff as an Assistant Quarterbacks Coach/Assistant to the Head Coach. So far, it's been a pretty smooth transition.

November 28, 2008; Pittsburgh, Pa., USA; West Virginia quarterback Pat White (5) against Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 19-15. Mandatory Credit: Don Wright-Imagn Images | Don Wright-Imagn Images

“Oh yeah," Rodriguez said emphatically when asked if White has a bright future in coaching. "Pat’s got a little bit of experience. He obviously knows a lot of the system, but it’s been almost 20 years or so, so there’s a lot of stuff in our offense that we weren’t doing back then, and some of the stuff we were doing back then we’re not doing now. So Pat’s still in the process of learning all that, but he’s got a good demeanor about him.”

Also, during Rodriguez's first tenure in Morgantown, he had some running backs with blazing speed, most notably Steve Slaton and Noel Devine. Although Devine only played one season for Rodriguez, their relationship goes back to his recruitment when he was at North Fort Myers in Florida. In that one season, Devine rushed the ball 73 times for 627 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 8.6 yards per tote. He ended up rushing for 4,315 yards and 29 scores as a Mountaineer.

November 13, 2010; Morgantown,WV, USA: West Virginia Mountaineers running back Noel Devine (7) rushes the ball in the 3rd quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU defeated Cincinnati 37-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

After bouncing around in professional football from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Omaha Nighthawks (UFL), Montreal Allouettes (CFL), Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), and West Virginia Roughriders (NAL), Devine got into coaching at the lower levels. Now, he's back home alongside White and Rodriguez, doing everything he can to help put the Mountaineers back on the map.

“Same thing with Noel," Rodriguez said. "He’s got a great personality. He’s always excited to be out there. I know he coached a little bit down in Florida and had some speed camps down there, but he’s a natural football coach. I mean, I can see it in recruiting and his personality in talking to guys that we recruited. He’s going to have a great career in coaching, and he’s still learning, but he’s got everything it takes to be a really good one, I think.”

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