The Sports Illustrated jinx strikes again?
Known for his unique path into the coaching profession thanks to the magazine piece, Daron Roberts, presumably dressed as a scapegoat, has now found himself on the outside of the West Virginia football program looking in following a season in which the Mountaineers’ defense engineered a historic implosion.
In a release, head coach Dana Holgorsen confirmed that the cornerbacks coach is leaving WVU to (ahem) pursue other opportunities.
“I want to thank Daron for his time on staff at West Virginia,” Holgorsen said in a statement. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Given the depths to which WVU’s defense plunged this season, it was a given there would be some type of shakeup on Holgorsen’s staff. The 457 points given up in 2012 were the most in school history, with the 38.1 points per game “good” for 117th (out of 124 FBS teams) in the country.
Specifically as it relates to Roberts, there was just one FBS team -- Louisiana Tech -- that gave up more passing yards than WVU’s 3,925. Just one team allowed more passing touchdowns than WVU’s 36 -- one-win Colorado’s 39.
Whether Roberts is the lone move or other defensive heads will roll, including coordinator Joe DeForest‘s, is unknown at this time.