After hiring two former national Coach of the Year winners as coordinators this offseason, it’s pretty clear that Matt Luke wants to fill the staff with proven commodities rather than undervalued up-and-comers. While Mike MacIntyre was seen as a solid hire amid the recent defensive ineptitude in Oxford, picking up Rich Rodriguez to helm the offense was inarguably the splashier one.
Since 2005, Rodriguez has produced seven top-30 offenses according to S&P+, including four in the top 12, so the hype is at least somewhat warranted. But considering his most consistently dominant groups came out of Morgantown more than a decade ago, it’s not overly cynical to think his best days are behind him.