Betting big on program legends: Why West Virginia, UCF called on Rich Rodriguez, Scott Frost to recreate magic

FRISCO, Texas -- Eighteen years ago, Rich Rodriguez decided to leave West Virginia for Michigan. It was a decision that sent shockwaves across the state as the native son left a program on the doorstep of national championship contention.

Three years later, he was fired by the Wolverines. It set him on a winding career path that took him everywhere from Arizona to Jacksonville State, where he just found ways to win. Now, "Rich Rod" is back in Morgantown.

"It's a little surreal," Rodriguez told CBS Sports at Big 12 Media Days. "It's obviously a place I know but haven't been back much in 17-18 years. Typically it might take you six to nine months to kind of get a feel for the palace, but to me it was like six minutes… I shouldn't have left."

Why Big 12 history suggests Scott Frost isn't wrong about UCF's underdog potential in 2025 season

Scott Frost was fired from his alma mater, Nebraska, in 2022. He spent a year away from the game but got an opportunity to work for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams in 2024 as a senior analyst. He learned a lot and rediscovered his love of football. Then, he got a call from the program where he first became a star coach.

"My plan was to stay in the NFL," Frost told CBS Sports. "And then UCF opened."

It's exceedingly rare that college football programs hire the same coach multiple times. Last season, the only two coaches in the Power Four on second stints were Greg Schiano (Rutgers) and Mack Brown (North Carolina). Previously, Bobby Petrino (Louisville) and Bill Snyder (Kansas State) are two notable coaches who each managed to put together solid tenures across two stints, but the sport has changed tremendously since then.

Retreads have typically not won big their second time around at schools, however. In the case of Randy Edsall at UConn or Gary Andersen at Utah State, there have been more than a few disasters when programs try to relive the glory days. But despite all concerns, West Virginia and UCF both took the plunge.

West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker acknowledges that there were many people in his ear during the search. Ironically, while several pushed the return of Rodriguez, plenty of others had bitter tastes in their mouth because of the way he left. In fact, Rodriguez had -36 favorability in the state in 2013, according to a Public Policy Polling poll.

Rodriguez posted a 60-26 record at West Virginia, including a 32-5 record in his final three seasons. The Mountaineers posted three straight AP top 10 finishes. Under former coach Neal Brown, West Virginia never even spent a single week in the AP Top 25.

"I wanted to make sure that we didn't do it because it felt good for a few minutes or because people wanted to get the band back together," West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker said. "I wanted to be confident that we were doing it for the right reasons and he was the right coach for us at this time. The sequel's not always as good as the original, right?"

Typically, Baker holds Zoom calls with around eight candidates before meeting two or three in person. This time, though, Baker wanted to really cast his net wide. He held double the amount of virtual and in-person interviews during the search just to ensure the program exhausted every opportunity and didn't just fall back into comfort.

"I'm always thorough, but our process was probably even more thorough because he was in the pool," Baker said.

However, Rodriguez's insatiable desire to coach ball was a huge part of his appeal. He jumped back into the game at Arizona almost immediately after getting let go from Michigan, ultimately leading them to a Pac-12 South title. Once he was fired there, he bounced around Ole Miss, Hawaii and ULM in assistant roles before finally getting another head job at Jacksonville State, a transitioning FCS-to-FBS program. At Jax State, he went 18-4 in two FBS seasons and won a Conference USA title in 2024. It proved he was willing to adapt and learn and could win in this era.

"There's a lot of folks that live in the past," Rodriguez said. "I don't mind because it's fun for them to do that, but I'm not. I didn't hire Pat White or Noel Devine because of what they did back then, I hired them for what they can do for me right now."

UCF was the program where Frost became a rising star. It took only two seasons for Frost to turn an 0-12 team led by George O'Leary into a 13-0 squad. It was perhaps the quickest turnaround in history and led to UCF claiming a (maybe dubious) national championship. The success helped UCF earn a Big 12 invitation and officially become a power conference program.

"It's just been a rocket ship rise from where it started to where it is now," Frost said. "I'm proud that I think our 2017 team had a lot to do with positioning us to get where we are. But, really, there's nothing holding it back. I don't think we've even come close to maximizing the potential of what we can be yet."

Frost then took over at his alma mater, Nebraska, where he flamed out and even expressed regret at taking the job. After getting fired, he spent the 2023 season away from football. A year later, he joined heralded coach Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams as a senior analyst. Unlike many modern athletic directors, Mohajir was an on-field college football coach and he remains an avid tape watcher.

"I got to spend a little time with Sean McVay on the phone during the season," Mohajir said. "I looked at some of the film from the Rams, some of the stuff they were doing. I thought it was really cool and he just did some really innovative stuff. Scott's a little bit of a sponge."

The pair spent plenty of time talking about scheme and strategy during the interview process, especially because of Frost's time away from college football. His teams were characterized by playing fast and aggressive on both sides, and Mohajir wanted to make sure Frost kept up with the times. He was pleased with what he heard, even if he acknowledges that a second Frost tenure would look quite different.

"I think we're trying to temper the enthusiasm that it's a different time period than when he came last time," Mohajir said. "You had to sit out if you transferred, there's no collectives, no money, pay for play, none of that stuff."

Frost was hesitant to return to college football after his bad experience at Nebraska, posting a 16-31 record and ultimately getting run out of his hometown. As one administrator put it: "Going home is great, if things are good." But at UCF, Frost felt he had a community that fit his family long term.

"People are rooting for you but not all up in your business either," Frost said. "That's why I enjoyed UCF the first time. The fan base is great, they're going to fill the Bounce House and be crazy, but you can also live your life aside from it, and that's really comfortable for my family."

Regardless, there will be plenty of eyeballs on both coaches as they try to turn around two programs that have struggled to contend in the Big 12 since joining from other conferences in the last 15 years. Both are ready to face the challenge of competing in modern college football, and they want to do it their way. Even if, in the case of Rich Rod, it may be old fashioned at times.

In March, Rodriguez told reporters that he was banning his players from dancing on TikTok. To him, it doesn't extend the "hard edge" image he wants for his program. Ironically, the TikTok ban … went viral. Welcome to the new age.

"I've caught a little grief over that, but I've lost zero sleep over not letting guys dance in their tights in the locker room," Rodriguez said.

So what would it take for Rodriguez to dance like Brian Kelly in a TikTok? Would winning the Big 12 for the first time in program history do it?

"You'd have to do like a lobotomy or something," Rodriguez said. "I may crowd surf. But I'm not break dancing."