Report: Ex-Michigan, Arizona HC Rich Rodriguez Expected to Become Ole Miss OC

The Ole Miss Rebels are expected to hire Rich Rodriguez as their offensive coordinator, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported Sunday.

It's a three-year deal worth "a little under" $3 million, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. 

Rodriguez most recently coached the Arizona Wildcats, where he compiled a 43-35 record and made five bowl appearances in six seasons.

Arizona fired Rodriguez in January.

The move came after one of his former assistants filed suit against him, "alleging years of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment," per the Arizona Daily Star's Caitlin Schmidt.

Arizona retained an outside law firm to look into allegations against Rodriguez. While unable to verify the claims, the law firm said in a statement that the school had "become aware of information, both before and during the investigation, which caused it to be concerned with the direction and climate of the football program."

In a since-deleted tweet, Rodriguez acknowledged he had had an extramarital affair with a woman who was not affiliated with the school but denied the allegations laid out in the lawsuit.

The 55-year-old is the second high-profile arrival for Ole Miss' staff this month. The Rebels hired Mike MacIntyre as their defensive coordinator. MacIntyre coached the Colorado Buffaloes for six years, and he memorably led the team to a 10-win season in 2016.

USA Today's Dan Wolken believes bringing two experienced coaches into Oxford will create an intriguing dynamic:

Ole Miss is obviously looking to improve upon a five-win season in 2018.

Rodriguez takes the reins of a unit that finished 12th in S&P+ offense, per Football Outsiders.

The Rebels have to replace leading passer Jordan Ta'amu, but they have Matt Corral waiting in the wings. Corral was the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the 2018 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Leading rusher Scottie Phillips and leading receiver A.J. Brown are both juniors, so both players could be back in 2019 as well.

When Ole Miss removed the interim tag from Matt Luke and made him the permanent head coach, some wondered whether he'd be able to continue the progress the program made under Hugh Freeze. By surrounding Luke with two proven FBS coaches, the Rebels are not only setting their head coach up for success but also possibly bridging the gap on some of the teams above them in the SEC.