Rich Rodriguez Crowned National Coach of the Year: Legendary West Virginia Mountaineer Honored for Excellence and Inspiring Generations
In a historic and emotional moment for college football, Rich Rodriguez, the iconic former head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, has been named the 2025 National Coach of the Year. The prestigious honor, announced during the annual College Football Hall of Fame gala in Atlanta, recognizes not only Rodriguez’s remarkable success on the field but also his lasting impact on generations of players and coaches.
Rodriguez, now 61, received a thunderous standing ovation from a crowd filled with former players, fellow coaches, and fans from across the country. His coaching journey, most notably marked by his revolutionary spread offense and the transformation of the Mountaineers into a national powerhouse in the early 2000s, remains one of the most influential stories in modern college football.
“I’m humbled,” Rodriguez said through visible emotion. “West Virginia shaped me. The people, the players, the traditions—we built something special. This award belongs to all of us.”
Rich Rodriguez took over the Mountaineers program in 2001 during a time of uncertainty. Within three years, he had rebuilt the team into a Big East contender. By 2005, he led West Virginia to an 11–1 record and a thrilling Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, cementing his reputation as an offensive innovator. Under his leadership, WVU achieved three consecutive 11-win seasons, including a dominant Fiesta Bowl win in 2007. His fast-paced, no-huddle spread offense revolutionized college football, paving the way for programs across the country to adopt similar styles.
Although Rodriguez left West Virginia for Michigan in 2008—a move that divided fans—his love for the Mountaineers never waned. In recent years, he reconnected deeply with the WVU community through alumni events, mentorship of young coaches, and his continued support of student-athlete development programs. The National Coach of the Year award this year was as much a recognition of his legacy as it was of his current success.
This season, Rodriguez engineered a dramatic turnaround at Jacksonville State, leading the team to a 12–1 record in their second full year at the FBS level. His ability to build winning cultures from the ground up once again took center stage. But it was the impact he had on lives off the field that truly resonated.
“Coach Rod changed my life,” said Pat White, the legendary WVU quarterback. “He gave me a chance, believed in me, and shaped me into the man I am today.”
Today, many of his former assistants are now head coaches themselves, carrying forward the lessons Rodriguez instilled in them—discipline, innovation, and relentless effort.
As the spotlight shone on him at the Hall of Fame, Rodriguez closed his acceptance speech with a nod to the state that raised him: “Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer. This is for West Virginia.”
Rich Rodriguez, the visionary who brought pride to Morgantown and transformed college football, now holds a title long overdue: National Coach of the Year.
