Joe DeForest came to West Virginia in 2012 as the defensive coordinator. He was tight with Dana Holgorsen at Oklahoma State from 2001-11, making the relationship even stronger when they joined forces at WVU.
At first, it wasn’t a match made in Almost Heaven.
The Mountaineers defense surrendered 472.5 yards of total offense in 13 games, with 37 points given up per outing. That poor showing in a 7-6 season, and loss to Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl, DeForest was demoted.
In his new role, DeForest handled special teams. Which drew even more ire from fans than when he was in charge of the defense.