Rich Rod to Louisville??

[Absolute Zero]

It looks like Rich Rod is being pursued by Louisville, which is close to his West Virginia stomping grounds.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/ua/...get-arizona-coach-rich-rodriguez-reports.html

My prediction is that he won't go anywhere, but instead will turn this into an extension with a raise at U of A. Louisville paid Strong $3.7 million, which is way more than U of A paid.

I read on another board that RichRod was seen recently in Morgantown, about 5 hours from Louisville. No clue if there is any connection.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Don't think it's likely to happen, would take him another couple years to remake that program into what he wants and at that point I can't imagine he could survive the PR hits. You never know though, Louisville has a lot of dough.

 

[Russ Smith]

It's a good sign for the conference that teams keep coming after Pac 12 coaches, as long as they stay with the Pac 12 teams that is.

 

[Dback Jon]

John Clay of the Lexington Herald Leader:

I'm hearing this morning that Arizona's Rich Rodriguez will not be a candidate for the Louisville job.
8:43am - 6 Jan 14

https://mobile.twitter.com/johnclayiv

 

[TJ]

Not happening. Chances were slim to begin with, and Byrne ensured they went to none over the past 24 hours.

 

[Dback Jon]

Not happening. Chances were slim to begin with, and Byrne ensured they went to none over the past 24 hours.

RichRod used the rumors to extort more money?

 

[TJ]

RichRod used the rumors to extort more money?

There was mutual interest, mostly from louisville. UL had him on the top of their short list. RR and their AD are friends. He is loyal to UA, but if a team who could legitimately pay 60% more, you have to listen.

It looks like RichRod and his assistants will get a bump in pay. This whole situation was foreseen by the athletic department, which is why Byrne was able to diffuse the situation quickly. He knew he had signed RichRod on the cheap and would have to take care of him when other schools came calling after some success. IMO, the stigma of leaving another program at an inopportune time factored into him not actively pursuing the job. RichRod wants to go to a bigger school eventually, and pulling another WVU would destroy his credibility and chances of doing so.

 

[Absolute Zero]

There was mutual interest, mostly from louisville. UL had him on the top of their short list. RR and their AD are friends. He is loyal to UA, but if a team who could legitimately pay 60% more, you have to listen.

It looks like RichRod and his assistants will get a bump in pay. This whole situation was foreseen by the athletic department, which is why Byrne was able to diffuse the situation quickly. He knew he had signed RichRod on the cheap and would have to take care of him when other schools came calling after some success. IMO, the stigma of leaving another program at an inopportune time factored into him not actively pursuing the job. RichRod wants to go to a bigger school eventually, and pulling another WVU would destroy his credibility and chances of doing so.

You seem to be ahead of the news reports.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/ua/...-feels-good-about-keeping-rich-rodriguez.html

But as I said, I expect you are right on how this will all turn out in the end

 

[TJ]

You seem to be ahead of the news reports.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/ua/...-feels-good-about-keeping-rich-rodriguez.html

But as I said, I expect you are right on how this will all turn out in the end

I'll put it to you this way:

UL is in "win now" mode after going 12-1 and transitioning to the ACC, next season. RichRod is far from a "win now" coach. He's a "give me three years and I'll build you a winner" coach. Sounds an awful lot like the chasm between him and Michigan. In addition to which, UL's roster and recruits are built for a pro style offense, which would mean that RR would have a ton of purging to do to install his ZRO.

Also, UL fans do not want RichRod at all. As a matter of fact, they're nauseated about the prospect of him coming to Louisville. They would much rather have Bobby Petrino back. I would assume, as well, that the boosters have responded accordingly (UL has some big boosters). RichRod is not a bad coach at all, so this type of vitriol against him shows that the stigma RR tried to leave behind at UM and WVU is still in place.

I think RichRod will eventually look for greener pastures, just not now. I certainly don't think UL fits that mold, which is, at best, a step stone programs for one of the big boys. If what I've read is correct, RichRod wants to get into the SEC. In order to do that, he has to do better than the Independence Bowl. With the #1 PAC recruiting class coming in, his best chance of removing the above mentioned stigma, enhancing his market value, and becoming a legit candidate for one of those high-profile jobs is to take what he's built in Tucson and put his best foot forward.

 

[Rivercard]

UL fans would much rather have Bobby Petrino back. I would assume, as well, that the boosters have responded accordingly (UL has some big boosters).

Looks like you have a crystal ball TJ. Reports are Petrino is back in the big L. I want to like the re-hire bacause Petrino was very successful in his first stint at Louisville, but he has been a bit of a jackass as well. Hopefully he's gotten his head on straight.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The fact that Bobby Petrino keeps getting big money jobs tells you all you need to know about how winning trumps character by a Grand Canyon sized margin in college sports.