Stock Up, Stock Down: What We're Hearing on the WVU Head Coaching Candidates

The West Virginia head coaching search is now a week old. How much longer will it be?

Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's been a full week since West Virginia decided to part ways with head football coach Neal Brown. Director of Athletics Wren Baker has been on the phones all week trying to find the program's 36th head coach.

Where do things currently stand? Who is in the mix? When will a decision be made? Here's what I've been hearing.

Rich Rodriguez - Jacksonville State HC

Stock: Up.

Rich Rod had maybe the most impressive win of the weekend, dominating Western Kentucky in the Conference-USA title game, 52-12. The interest from West Virginia is real, and over the last handful of days, Rich Rod's return to Morgantown has gained a lot of momentum. As others have reported, he did a virtual interview for the job last week, and according to a source, that likely took place on Thursday night. There isn't another candidate out there that has more backing from donors/boosters than Rich. I'm not sure he's the clear-cut frontrunner at the moment, but he's certainly among the favorites to land the job.

Barry Odom - UNLV HC

Stock: Down.

Odom's Runnin' Rebels didn't have a good showing in the Mountain West Conference title game, but his stock didn't fall because of that result. There was a lot of talk early on about Odom because of his connection with Wren Baker. While he remains on Baker's list, I'm not getting the sense that he is going to be the guy. Odom is in consideration at Purdue, but he's also open to staying put at UNLV and waiting for a bigger job to pop open.

Jon Sumrall - Tulane HC

Stock: No change.

Similar to Odom, the result of Tulane's conference championship game didn't hurt his chances. Remember, Wren is all about using all of the data points. The Green Wave didn't play their best against Army, but there's still a lot to like about a coach that is 32-8. Sumrall is on Baker's shortlist, but can he become a finalist for the job? Maybe. Also similar to Odom, Sumrall isn't hellbent on leaving for a Power Four job this cycle. There weren't many openings to begin with, and he's in his first year on the job. He can increase his value on the market with another solid campaign in 2025, likely becoming the No. 1 target for everyone with an opening. He is, however, still in the mix for now.

Jeff Monken - Army HC

Stock: Down.

Monken is someone who has impressed WVU because of his ability to win at a high level at a service academy. They play unconventional football yet are the champions of the American Athletic Conference. There is interest from West Virginia, but probably not enough for anything to materialize. He will likely stay put at Army, although there has been interest from Purdue and North Carolina.

Andy Kotelnicki - Penn State OC

Stock: Up.

From the jump, I had a feeling Kotelnicki would be in the group of finalists. Baker did state that head coaching experience wasn't a requirement, but this has felt like a search heavy on those who do have that experience. If a coordinator gets the job, it's going to be Kotelnicki. There are others out there that have been mentioned, but none top the resume of Kotelnicki. Right now, it feels like he and Rich Rodriguez are in their own tier. That's not to say something can't change in the coming hours or days.

Jimbo Fisher - free agent

Stock: Down.

Jimbo has interest in the job, but it feels like West Virginia is going to go in another direction. I never rule anything completely out, but the chances of Fisher getting the job feel slim to none. If Baker hires a West Virginia guy, it'll be Rich Rodriguez.

When will a decision be made?

The target date I keep hearing is December 10th. That doesn't mean it's time to panic if Tuesday passes and there's no announcement. As Baker stated in his press conference, he wants to run an efficient search but knows he can't rush it. Could a decision come before Tuesday? Absolutely.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Pat McAfee Hints at a Big Turnaround for West Virginia on College GameDay

Should Army's Jeff Monken be a Serious Candidate for the West Virginia Job?

Neal Brown: 'You Can't Have Top-Four League Expectations and Have Bottom-Four Resources'

Rich Rodriguez Denies Reports, Says 'Nothing Scheduled' with West Virginia