Michigan Wolverines named Kyle Whittingham as their 22nd head coach last December. While he has yet to call plays in Ann Arbor, a former Michigan head coach termed his Michigan tenure a 'mistake.'

Rich Rodriguez sat down with Adam Breneman on the Next Up podcast on May 27. He went back to Michigan days, the job that defined a difficult chapter of his career, and he did not sugarcoat it.

"Was it a mistake going there? Yeah, it's easy to say that now," Rodriguez said, per SI.com's Trent Knoop. "I probably would never take another job without visiting it, because if I would have visited there, I would have realized, gosh, we have some better stuff here, like in the weight room, whatever, than they had."

Rodriguez was hired as Michigan's 18th head coach on December 17, 2007. Three seasons, a 3-9 debut, a 5-7 follow-up, and a 7-6 exit. Then he was fired.

The problem from day one was his spread offense. Michigan's roster was not built for it. The players were not there and neither was the right staff around him.

He also pointed to Bill Martin retiring as athletic director mid-tenure. Rodriguez believes if Martin had stayed, he would have gotten a fourth season.

"I still felt that had we had a chance to maybe finish it out, because the third year we got better, got in the bowl game," he said about the Wolverines making it to the Gator Bowl. "And then the fourth year when we weren't there, they got to the Sugar Bowl, and all the guys that were making plays were recruited by us, so that was hard to watch."

More than a decade has passed, but the former Michigan head coach still carries a regret. His time in Ann Arbor was limited, and he wrapped up the Wolverines' head coaching tenure much before the NIL was introduced in 2021.

The first name he thought of was Pat White while talking about using the NIL money to bring talented players to Michigan. His former West Virginia quarterback had one year of eligibility left when Rodriguez left Morgantown. With NIL money, he believes White would have followed him to Ann Arbor.

Rodriguez Is Heading Into a Critical Year Two at West Virginia

West Virginia went 4-8 in the first season of Rodriguez's second stint as the head coach in 2025. Not what anyone hoped for. But rebuilding a roster with over 80 new players was tough.

In year two, expectations are higher since the Mountaineers have been longing to get back to the glory days. Rodriguez's first era at West Virginia delivered unforgettable moments.

With playmakers like White, Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, and Noel Devine leading the way, the Mountaineers won 33 games across three seasons and claimed BCS bowl wins against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

“It is personal," Rodriguez said about the challenge he has taken up to script a turnaround story for West Virginia. "It’s going to happen again when we’re having success, and we’re winning and competing for championships."

The lessons from Michigan did not go to waste. The NIL resources and administrative support he has now in Morgantown are exactly what was missing in Ann Arbor all those years ago.

What do you think about Rodriguez's confession about the Michigan job? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar