Rich Rodriguez answered the loss of his running backs coach by merely going out and landing one of the sport's top coaches at the position.
Sources tell FootballScoop that RichRod and West Virginia are hiring veteran Larry Porter to coach the Mountaineers running backs.
Porter replaces Chad Scott, who recently left for the running backs coach job at Texas under Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns lost Tashard Choice to the NFL.
Porter has a distinguished track record developing running backs, including most recently Omarion Hampton.
The former UNC star tailback is projected as one of the top available running backs in this year's NFL Draft.
Himself a former running back at the University of Memphis, Porter has extensive experience in Power Conference programs.
He had a long run in the SEC -- where he spent a combined nine years in charge of the running backs at first LSU and later Auburn. He also coached running backs for a year at Texas.
Porter had been among Mack Brown's most enduring hires in Brown's second stint in Chapel Hill; Porter eventually served as both special teams coordinator and running backs coach for the Tar Heels.
He became available to West Virginia and Rich Rod, who's also igniting his second tour in Morgantown, W. Va., after UNC officials hired Bill Belichick to the NFL coaching icon's first-ever collegiate job.