When Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez received a call from Greg Byrne to inform him he was leaving to become the athletic director at Alabama, he wasn't completely caught off guard.
It wasn't public yet, but Rodriguez had heard rumors about the possibility and had worked with Byrne long enough to understand why Alabama came calling.
"He's so well-respected and has done such a good job wherever he has been that the fact that an athletic program as established as Alabama sought him out is not a surprise at all," Rodriguez said last week.
Byrne was responsible for hiring Rodriguez prior to the 2012 season and has since been viewed as a staunch supporter of the former West Virginia and Michigan coach.