MORGANTOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Amid speculation surrounding Rich Rodriguez’s anticipated return as West Virginia University’s (WVU) head football coach, a prominent university booster has addressed rumors of undue influence on WVU Athletic Director Wren Baker.
Following the dismissal of former head coach Neal Brown, reports surfaced indicating that Jacksonville State Head Coach Rich Rodriguez was a leading contender for the position.
These reports were confirmed by multiple sources on Wednesday evening.
Throughout the search process, some social media users claimed that university boosters were pressuring Baker to hire Rodriguez.
However, Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and a prominent WVU alumnus and booster, took to social media platform X late Wednesday night to deny those allegations.
“Wren Baker is his own man and conducted a thorough search to find our new Coach. NO ONE pressured him in any way during the process,” Kendrick wrote. “The Country Roads Trust will strongly support Rich Rodriguez just as we would any other candidate that Wren would have chosen. Go Mountaineers!”
The Country Roads Trust, a fan-driven organization that connects WVU student-athletes with opportunities to earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL), reposted Kendrick’s statement, adding, “Amen, Ken!”
As of Thursday morning, WVU has yet to make an official announcement, but sources confirmed late Wednesday that Rodriguez is expected to take on the head coaching role.
