Big 12 Coach Hires His Daughter to Football Staff

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated Jan 28, 2025 8:34 AM ET

There is a long history of nepotism in college football. It also tends to be accepted as the norm. Just recently Bill Belichick hired his son, Stephen Belichick, to be defensive coordinator, and nobody thought twice. New West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez is taking it to an extreme though, as he now has multiple children on his staff.

A few weeks after hiring his son, Rhett Rodriguez, to be the quarterbacks coach, it was announced yesterday that he had hired his daughter, Raquel Rodriguez , as the assistant athletic director for football management and strategy:

Welcome home, @raquelrod_23! pic.twitter.com/8lZDD6Fg9k
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) January 27, 2025

Raquel Rodriguez followed her father from Jacksonville State, where she was the creative content coordinator for the Gamecocks’ program. This is a similar situation to Rhett’s, who was an offensive analyst with Jacksonville State last season before making the move to Morgantown.

The big issue with hiring family is if they don’t perform up to expectations. It quickly puts Coach Rodriguez into an awkward situation if either of his children fails to perform. But I guess this is a gamble he is willing to take.

And just in case anyone is wondering, Coach Rodriguez does not have any other children to hire.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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