Rich Rodriguez has officially been named the next head coach of the Arizona Wildcats football program. While the short-term future of UA football has been secured, there are still some in the fan base with concerns that Rich-Rod is simply using Arizona to get his feet back on the ground before leaving for a better job. According to the head coach, that won't happen.
"This is my final coaching stop," the 48-year-old coach said. "I hope to be able to do this another 12 or 15 years."
Rodriguez also repeatedly said that he and his family had seriously contemplated moving to a warmer climate because of his wife's rheumatoid arthritis. Tucson is one of the best locations in the country for one with that condition and Tucson's beautiful weather had to be very appealing.
Still, while Rodriguez would never publicly state that he would consider a different job, it has to at least be in the back of every Wildcat fan's mind. This was the man, after all, that left a West Virginia program at the height of its existence for the bright lights of Michigan.
Arizona fans, students and alumni can only hope that Rodriguez learned his lesson from the debacle in Ann Arbor and will not jump ship so easily this time around. Everything appears to be in place for a very successful tenure in Tucson for Rodriguez and his family; now we just have to wait and see how it all plays out.