Rich Rodriguez, the 61-year old from Grant Town, has brought his brand of football back to West Virginia University. Courtesy photo

MORGANTOWN — Rich Rodriguez, the 61-year old from Grant Town, has brought his brand of football back to the state where he was born.

Rodriguez probably wouldn’t consider himself a vagabond, but in the past 17 years he’s had himself called to Ann Arbor in Michigan, then to the southwest to the University of Arizona and later to the Deep South to bring life to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the state of Alabama.

And now he’s back in Morgantown, where he told those who listened to him in the earlier 2000s that he was there to stay, after being turned down by the University of Alabama for its head coaching position after an interview.

After the interview in Tuscaloosa, Rodriguez upon his return to Morgantown, told the media and any civilian who chose to listen that, “You don’t have to worry about me, I’m back to stay,” before hurrying off to Michigan to coach the unpleasantly surprised Wolverines.

Now after three seasons deep in the heart of the state of Alabama, Rodriguez takes over the Mountaineers from the departed Neal Brown, who lasted six seasons as West Virginia University’s head football coach.

Jacksonville State reached bowl status this season and then won its game in December.

Rodriguez comes in again to coach for between $3 and $4 million a season. His contract calls for him to have $5 million to spend on the salaries of his assistant coaches. His contract is like most of day, in that it is loaded with incentives. Bonuses for a certain amount of wins, any conference championships or bowl games, visits to the 12-team College Football Playoffs and any national championships.

His days will be crammed with concerns about the transfer portal, where he is losing a goodly number of players and is expected to get back another goodly number of imports.

How will he negotiate the NIL (name, image and likeness) brouhaha that has taken ownership of the college game?

He will bring in assistants from Jacksonville State and elsewhere. And now he’s got the money to bid for the services of assistants from across the board.

What effect West Virginia’s 42-37 Frisco Bowl loss to Memphis will have on the players’ futures or on any possible assistant he might want to retain, is unknown.

Some of those currently in the transfer portal have said they are still open to a possible return to WVU.

It’s not confusing to the three people who understand all the ramifications churning away at the fabric of college football . . . but to everyone else, it is.

The athletic administration will want to watch the season ticket sales — watch the advertising from businesses, always train its eyes on contributions from boosters and boasters alike and see how tempestuous or reliable the NIL money situation is.

Actual coaching for the college football coach diminishes in content and time in an ongoing way.

Rodriguez is back. That much is known. Nobody has to worry about him leaving for greener or loss-blackened grass again.

But are the athletic administrators going to get what they want? More wins? Added prestige? National acclaim? A state native re-energizing the fan base?

The questions abound, as they always do concerning the Mountaineer football fortunes.