Dana Holgorsen Retained by West Virginia: Latest Comments and Reaction

West Virginia head football coach Dana Holgorsen was believed to be on the hot seat after leading the Mountaineers to a 7-5 record, but the school issued a statement Wednesday reiterating it has no plans to move in a different direction. 

The Charleston Gazette-Mail's Chuck McGill relayed confirmation from West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons:     

ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy first reported Holgorsen's job was safe.   

Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette-Mail penned a piece Monday indicating the school was undecided on Holgorsen's future with the Mountaineers, but as vacancies across the country were quickly filled by quality candidates, West Virginia opted to hold steady. 

Holgorsen's squad started the season 3-0 with easy wins over Georgia Southern, Liberty and Maryland, but conference play took a toll on the Mountaineers. West Virginia proceeded to drop its next four games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU. 

The Mountaineers remained resilient, though, and ripped off four straight wins over Texas Tech, Texas, Kansas and Iowa State. 

However, West Virginia closed its regular season on a sour note with a 24-23 loss to Kansas State. Had the Mountaineers been able to slay the Wildcats and head into bowl season with an 8-4 record, Holgorsen likely wouldn't have been in such a perilous position. 

The 44-year-old has posted a 35-28 record since taking over the reins in 2011, including an Orange Bowl win over Clemson to cap off his first year at the controls.  

The Mountaineers will have a chance to get back on the winning track Jan. 2 when they square off against Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl. 

But beyond January, Holgorsen will need to focus on returning West Virginia to Big 12 glory.

The Mountaineers haven't finished the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll since 2011, per Sports-Reference.com. Furthermore, West Virginia hasn't ranked higher than 20th in-season over the past two years.