"It was kind of magical": Rich Rodriguez recalls the Pat White era in West Virginia
Rich Rodriguez is on his second stint as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers. His first stint was from 2001 until 2007, which coincided with Pat White's years as the starter for the then-Big East school. In his four years at the school, White was twice the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and three times a first-team All-Big East selection.
Speaking on Wednesday with CBS' Josh Pate, the veteran head coach reminisced about this era for the Mountaineers, highlighting what made that team successful:
"It was kind of magical, but the formula was still the same that we believe today. Find really good players that play really hard and care more about the team success than the individual success."
Pat White is currently back with the program. He was brought in as an assistant coach by Rich Rodriguez when he returned to Morgantown.
White's emphasis is on working the quarterback room for the Mountaineers. His previous coaching job was as an offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers between 2022 and 2023.
What's Rich Rodriguez's link with the West Virginia Mountaineers?
Rich Rodriguez is a Mountaineer through and through. He started his football journey as a defensive back for West Virginia between 1981 and 1984.
Rodriguez's coaching journey also started at the school, where he was a student assistant for the 1985 season. He has returned to Morgantown three times: in 1989 as an outside linebackers coach, between 2001 and 2007 as a head coach, and in 2025 back again in charge of the program.
Not only has Rodriguez spent considerable time with the program, but he has also brought success. He won four Big East championships in his first stint with the school (2003-2005, 2007). He was also named the Big East coach of the year twice (2003, 2005).
Rodriguez now faces the challenge of bringing back the program to its winning ways after a mediocre 6-6 regular season in 2024, which was capped by a loss at the Frisco Bowl to the Memphis Tigers.
Rich Rodriguez himself comes from a successful two-year stint in charge of Jacksonville State, with two 9-4 winning seasons and a C-USA championship title last season. He was also the C-USA Coach of the Year for 2024.