Rich Rodriguez’s Brutally Honest Admission on Almost Coaching Alabama Instead of Nick Saban
In a candid, nationally televised interview with The Pivot, West Virginia Head Coach Rich Rodriguez dropped a bombshell that sent shockwaves through the college football world: he was this close to becoming the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide—before Nick Saban ever stepped foot in Tuscaloosa.
“I had the papers in front of me,” Rodriguez revealed, leaning forward, his voice thick with the weight of history. “The contract was done. My wife and I even started house shopping. But something in my gut told me: This ain’t it. This ain’t home.”
It was December 2006. Alabama, reeling from the Mike Shula era, was desperate for a reset. Rodriguez had just led West Virginia to three straight 10-win seasons, orchestrating one of the most innovative offenses in the country. Crimson Tide boosters saw him as their savior. The $12 million offer—massive at the time—was backed by powerbrokers ready to build a dynasty. Rodriguez boarded a private plane, met with university leaders, even gave a verbal yes.
But just hours later, in a moment now etched into college football what-if lore, Rodriguez called Alabama officials and backed out.
“I still remember the silence on the other end,” he said. “They thought I was bluffing. But my loyalty to West Virginia… to the kids I recruited… I couldn’t shake it.”
The fallout was seismic. Alabama scrambled and turned to Plan B—Nick Saban, then coaching the Miami Dolphins. The rest is history: six national titles, an era of dominance never before seen.
“I don’t lose sleep over it,” Rodriguez added, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of what-could-have-been. “Do I wonder what would’ve happened if I’d said yes? Sure. I might have built something special. But maybe not. The truth is, Saban was meant to be there. He’s the best ever.”
Rodriguez’s honesty has drawn praise across the coaching fraternity. But he didn’t shy away from admitting the pain of watching Alabama rise to national dominance while his own career took a rockier path—stints at Michigan and Arizona followed by years in the wilderness.
“People wrote me off,” he said. “But coming back to WVU now, with this NIL era, with my heart and my team—this is redemption. This is mine.”
Rodriguez, now leading a Top 10 Mountaineers squad, says the decision that once haunted him now fuels him.
“They got Saban. Great. But I got Morgantown. I got my boys. And maybe, just maybe, I’m not done shocking the world.”
As the camera panned away, viewers were left with one haunting question: What if he had signed that paper? College football’s landscape—and legacy—would never have been the same.
