Rich Rodriguez’s name has been brought up frequently for thehead coaching job mainly because he has a significant Tulaneconnection. As offensive coordinator, Rodriguez orchestrated therun-oriented spread offense that helped lead Tulane to itsundefeated 12-0 season in 1998. Though he was only at Tulane fortwo seasons, his impact was as crucial as anyone who has beenmentioned in the coaching search. He was also the head coach atWest Virginia, where he was very successful, and at Michigan morerecently. He compiled a 60-26 record during his seven years as WestVirginia’s head coach, followed by a disappointing 15-22 mark afterthree seasons with the Wolverines. His fall from grace at Michiganis well-documented, leaving his coaching career in ruins andlanding him in a TV analyst’s chair. Nonetheless, he has thecredentials for the job.

After the challenges at Michigan, it’s hard to see why Rodriguezwould want to wade back into a struggling situation. Though hewanted this job back when he was here, it seems unfathomable thatthis job is appetizing to him now. More importantly, a coach ofthis caliber would require a salary to match, something that Tulanemay not pony up.

While Rodriguez seems like the person who could inject new lifeinto the program, it just doesn’t seem like there is any appeal forhim in this job. He also hasn’t expressed any outward interest,despite his name being thrown around.