Rich Rodriguez says time was perfect to go to Arizona

Nov 24, 2011, 1:11 AM | Updated: 1:11 am

New Univeristy of Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez joined
Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf to talk about his new job
down in Tucson.

“I think the timing for me is great, I’ve always wanted to
live in a warm weather state,” Rodriguez said. “I think the
football passion is going to be there.”

Rodriguez praised Arizona’s athletic director, calling Greg
Byrne a rising star who did a tremendous job of explaining
his vision while trying to court Rodriguez.

“The timing is perfect, not only for the university but also
for the Pac-12,” Rodriguez said. “The Pac-12 has the new TV
contract and they’re going to have a lot more exposure.”

With the timing of the hiring, Rodriguez said he gets a head
start that most new coaches don’t because their school waits
until after the season to make a new hire.

Rodriguez likes what he sees in the Wildcats.

“Mike Stoops had them right on the cusp, they did a pretty
good job and they were right there and they just had some
tough luck.”

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Rich Rodriguez says time was perfect to go to Arizona