Wren Baker - Sell-out for money
- Thread starter WVU_98
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I firmly believe one person was offered the job. And he accepted. Even though I will never forgive RR, I'm accepting reality. If you are a fan, I hope you also will in time. And I believe Wren did a great job regardless RR wasn't in my top 100 candidates.
Personally I think he offered Rod and told him think on it before accepting. Work out details you want and we will discuss.
He interviewed a few others while waiting on answers.
I believe he did offer AK but he turned him down because he didn't want to leave before playoffs.
I don't think Hartline was ever offered but pulling him from Ohio would have been tough.
Monken was not offered nor did he want to leave before Army vs Navy game.
Truth be known they probably had Rod and several others in mind since WVU lost to Baylor.
Wren did not go through this without series thought.
I'm mostly interested in what the details of his contract are. That will tell us a lot.
If there wasn't enough money to hire someone like Bill B (UNC) and Rod would work for the lower pay then what Wren did was acceptable - Rod was the best hire for the price (remember, we're paying two head coaches salaries - one to leave and one to stay).
However, if we could have attempted to go after him based on what UNC pays him, but never even looked that way, reached out, etc. to him or someone like him, and just settled on Rod, then yes, I think we fans have a right to be angry.
Not necessarily the Rod is back (though that is bad enough in some eyes) but that WVU didn't have the gumption to look bigger, be bolder, and be rejected by the best first.
If there wasn't enough money to hire someone like Bill B (UNC) and Rod would work for the lower pay then what Wren did was acceptable - Rod was the best hire for the price (remember, we're paying two head coaches salaries - one to leave and one to stay).
However, if we could have attempted to go after him based on what UNC pays him, but never even looked that way, reached out, etc. to him or someone like him, and just settled on Rod, then yes, I think we fans have a right to be angry.
Not necessarily the Rod is back (though that is bad enough in some eyes) but that WVU didn't have the gumption to look bigger, be bolder, and be rejected by the best first.
Wren hired the best man for the job and he knows it. That's why he's the AD and everyone else is posting speculation on a message board. Wren got his guy.
I never said you wanted Brown back. I said you should follow him because of your weak losery mindset about WVU isn't worthy of being called a fan. You're just making up bullshit lies because that's all you can do. You're mad because I was right about Neal 3 years ago. It's not about jumping off the bandwagon. It's about wanting to win and knowing wtf you're talking about, which you don't. Where is Brown again? Oh yeah he got fired becsuse hes a bad coach. Everything i said 3 years ago was true. Go figure. Whatever gibberish about the basketball team is more of your gaslighting bullshit. Get a life dude.
If you think that WVU will EVER pay a coach $10 million per year, you are crazy (that is what Belechick got at UNC).
LOL! It has always been and always will be about the money. Morals are overrated. Just look who is running the country, and yes I voted for him, but it is what it is.
Problem is, any old bum off the street could have hired the Product back. No other P4 programs were even considering him.
Does this upset you? What makes you so sure another P4 doesn't come around at the end of 2025 season? Wasn't exactly a lot of available P4 jobs open this season.
No, I don't get upset by forms of entertainment. But the progression of his career after WVU - from Michigan to Arizona to JSU is somewhat on the downtrend wouldn't you say?
An uptrend in lower tier football, not big boy football. Our last coach showed an even better trend in lower tier football so why didn't we just keep him?
That's what I'm afraid of.
In this business, you often get what you pay for. Maybe Belechick comes in, wins the ACC in dominant fashion, and gets a bye every year in the playoff. Then, would the price be worth it?
Maybe Rod comes in and does the same? The price would definitely be worth it then. But, suppose he has the Huggins effect - wins early but then does just enough to always keep his job safe but never challenge anything. What then? Is an 8 win average, finishing in the top half of the league but not winning it, and playing in who-cares bowls good enough?
Tough questions. Right now, nobody has won or lost a game.
But, if you ask yourself, which of these two men is more likely to make the playoffs the quickest and most often, would you seriously put your money on Rod?
Rod was fired at Michigan why? because he was a bad coach. He was mediocre in Arizona. His only successful coaching stint since leaving Wvu was at a conference USA job. We have seen many coaches come up from those leagues and flame out. I never advocated to keep Brown so stop with the BS lies. Rod's record at his previous two Power 4 gigs is 58-57 pretty much the exact winning % of the guy we just fired. I guess that loser mindset you speak of applies to yourself.
One of the reasons Belichek agreed to take the UNC job is they promised too significantly increase the amount for NIL. He is an NFL guy who understands that in college football today you have to pay to play.
Former coach had what 5 years experience as a HC. More experience would have benefited him.
Rodriguez has 20+ years as a head coach and 40 years total as a coach.
Maybe he succeeds maybe he doesn't. But I believe he will.
Rod has a better chance at success here more so than the inexperienced Brown. Give Brown some years of experience coaching and maybe he improves who knows.
But I see no reason for claims Rod will flop here. If he does then I'm sure they'll take care of it.
Tony Caridi also brought up the fact that an overwhelming majority of the time, when a coach is rehired at program they had previously coached, they end up having a lower winning percentage than their first time around.
Kotelnicki was linked to the UNC and UCF job as well. He was linked to more jobs than Rod was. Who knows whether he would have been a good coach or not, but he probably didn't want the job. I didn't expect the top up and comers would. UNC has promised Beichek a significant bump in NIL funding. That is what coach's that are considering jobs really want to see. Barry Odem was considered by most the top coaching prospect this cycle and he ends up at Purdue the Big 10 school that has the television money. You're not going to get the best until Wvu and the fanbase step up their game in the money department.
I don't think Rod 2.0 will be Michigan but it's not going to be 2005-2007 either. It will probably be something more like Arizona, but we already had a slightly better version of that in Holgorsen and that didn't satisfy the masses.
Everyone knows this. It's not a big secret. Tony didn't just pull this out of hat like mastermind or something. Things are completely different in todays college game. If you can manage the NIL and the shares that are coming soon next year you give yourself a chance at wins. Especially if you find the right QB.
Problem with majority of you. You're counting this season and those to come as complete failures. Give the man a chance before you bury his ass.
Never said it was. But it's going to be better than the 6 years we just had and the way the Big 12 is it only takes one hot season to make the playoffs.
Holgorsen was already like Version of Rod at Arizona.
You don't like the man I get. But I'm no longer in the party of destroying the man before he's even given a chance.
I'm done replying to BS post until Rod proves he can't do it. And if that is proven maybe we should drop down a division so you guys can be happy.
I'm cheering for him whether you people like it or not. Move on.
Exactly. I guarantee Rod would get a P4 position elsewhere. And maybe he’s been approached but was already planning to interview with WVU. People just need to stop attempting to devalue Rod as a coach at this level. They only appear foolish and butthurt over something that happened almost 20 years ago.
That’s true. And supposedly a lot of donors were agreeable to step up contributions if Rod was picked. Maybe we should let the man start the job before we judge. He seems humbled and happy. He also seems hungry and ready for redemption. I might be wrong, but I think he’s gonna be successful here again. Can he capture 2005-2007 again? I don’t know, but I’m willing to give him a chance.
I hope the donors and Fan base do step up, but the problem is it's something that should have been happening already. When it comes to how much success he will have it depends on what you define success as. We are not going to see 2005-2007 results this time around. He may have a good season here or there if he's here long enough. There are too many programs in the Big 12 that have equal or better resources than us and quite a few have better coaches than us.
I never said that I didn't like the man. I just don't think this is a very good hire. I hope he succeeds but I don't think he will. The era that he had success in is long gone. I think he will be better than Brown but not by enough to satisfy the fan base. Some of the things that I am saying are the very things you were saying when he wasn't our coach.
Yes I was and after hearing him speak I accepted him as is. I got the answer I wanted to hear. If he wins great. If not the AD will take care of it.
From looks of conference schedule he will have plenty of opportunities to jump off.
What's your point? You're just here to troll people who are all in on Rich Rod. You may as well be the heckler.
What's your point? You just like to troll those who don't tell you what you want to hear.
You don’t know that he won’t. Neither do I. He may or may not reach 2005-2007. Many of the B12 programs are no better than VT, Syracuse, BC were at that time. I get it, some of you are still upset with 2007. I truly do get it. However, it’s time to move on. It happened. The man apologized and admits he made a very bad mistake. For those who do know, he’s made this admission years ago to many people.
I moved on from him long ago. I believe Pastilong and Garrison are just as much or more to blame for that situation than he was. I am a forward-looking person, and Rod was the past and should have stayed in the past. The majority of the programs in the Big 12 are on the same level as Wvu. Some are a little better some are a little worse. Many have coach's that are better than Rod. Too many will hold him to the standards of 2005-2007 and that isn't happening. I don't believe there is any coach out there that can do that at Wvu in this environment. I think he will win more than Brown but not much more. I would have been trying to find the next thing and Rod is what he is at this point.
There weren’t any better candidates. Rod is better than Odoms today. Rod is more experienced than Kotelnicki today. Rod is more experienced than Hartline today. It’s debatable between Rod and Monken. Which I’ve said I thought Monken would not have been a bad choice. Rod has the experience and knows this fanbase and culture. Rod also already won here. Monken doesn’t have experience dealing with the NIL because he’s at Army. Whenever you weigh all this, it’s obvious Rod had the edge and was the correct choice. Wren Baker said this today. And if you want to go furthermore, Nick Saban advised Baker and WVU to pick Rod because he was the best candidate. If anyone would know, the GOAT would know.
Coached in the NFL.
Suppose there is a stud recruit that both WVU and UNC want. Belichick goes in to the living room with his Super Bowl rings, calls Tom Brady, tells the kid he knows how to get him to the NFL because he's been there and won that.
What does Rod bring? Don't slouch on the couch? I coached the team when it won before you were ever born? I won the Conference USA title last year? Remember Pat White? No, well nobody other than a WVU fan does either. Pat Macafee likes me though.
This is the point. You don't contend for and win conferences with just X's and O's and tough talk. You MUST get the Jimmies and Joes and this is potentially Rod's biggest weakness. He hasn't been relevant in 20 years so obviously there is a big concern. He may be able to bring in folks who can get recruiting done. At least that's what we both hope for. Because if he can't, all we've done in the end is traded one poor recruiter for another with likely similar records.
