Jacksonville State hires Rich Rodriguez as football coach

Rich Rodriguez, shown here at Arizona in 2017, has been hired as head football coach at Jacksonville State. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Veteran head coach Rich Rodriguez has been hired as head football coach at Jacksonville State, the school announced Monday.

Rodriguez, 58, comes to the Gamecocks from Louisiana-Monroe, where he was Terry Bowden’s offensive coordinator in 2021. He previously served as head coach at West Virginia (2001-07), Michigan (2008-10) and Arizona (2012-17) and was offensive coordinator at Ole Miss in 2019.

Rodriguez inherits a Jacksonville State program that will move up to the FBS level and join Conference USA in 2023. He replaces John Grass, who stepped down Nov. 6 after posting a 72-25 record with six FCS playoff berths in eight seasons at his alma mater.

Credited with helping introduce the spread option offense to major college football during tenures as Tommy Bowden’s offensive coordinator at Tulane and Clemson, Rodriguez had his greatest success at West Virginia. He posted a 60-26 record with three straight Top 10 finishes before leaving for Michigan in 2008.

Rodriguez very nearly became the Alabama coach in late 2006, and reportedly agreed to take the job before changing his mind and staying at West Virginia. The Crimson Tide hired Nick Saban a few weeks later.

Rodriguez was fired after posting a 15-22 record in three tumultuous seasons (2008-10) at Michigan, and 43-35 in six years at Arizona that included a Fiesta Bowl berth in 2014. His tenure with the Wildcats also ended in controversy, as Rodriguez was fired in January 2018 after a former administrative assistant filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment (the lawsuit was later dismissed).

Rodriguez will be introduced at a news conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday on the JSU campus.

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