He’s back.
Less than two weeks after the Utah football team’s wide receivers coach Aaron Roderick accepted the same position at the University of Washington, a change of heart brought him back to the U.
“I handled this whole thing badly,” Roderick said in a statement. “But I didn’t want to compound my mistakes when where I really want to be is Utah.”
The 36-year-old BYU alumnus had accepted the wide receivers position on newly minted Husky head coach and former teammate Steve Sarkisian’s staff. Roderick, the wideouts coach at Utah since 2005, cited personal reasons for rescinding his acceptance of the Washington offer.
“This was never about titles and money,” Roderick said. “This is about doing what is right for me and my family.”
Laurel Roderick, Aaron’s wife, was an assistant coach on Rich Manning’s staff coaching the Utah women’s soccer team and will return to that position.
Roderick initially accepted a co-offensive coordinating job with Utah with former running backs coach Dave Schramm before accepting the Washington job. His decision to leave for Washington left Schramm as the most qualified person for the offensive coordinator position.
Schramm will serve as Utah’s offensive coordinator, while Roderick will retain his old position as wide receivers coach and as one of Utah’s top recruiters on the West Coast.
“We are pleased to have Aaron Roderick returning to our program,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “He has been an integral part of our success over the past four years. Aaron’s return is great news for our current players, as well as for our incoming recruits.”
Now that Roderick is back in crimson red, he will hit the recruiting trail hard over the next week and a half, as the Feb. 4 national signing day is now eight days away.
Roderick has had an ability to develop and coach receivers throughout his coaching career.
He convinced senior wideout Bradon Godfrey to walk on at the U in 2005, and was instrumental in molding the talents of Freddie Brown and Brent Casteel, along with versatile receivers such as David Reed and Jereme Brooks.
With Roderick’s return to Utah, Whittingham and Schramm have two open coaching positions left on the offensive side. Schramm will take the reigns of coaching either the running backs or quarterbacks, leaving Whittingham to hire for the remaining coaching position.
Roderick’s road back to Salt Lake City during the past few weeks has been confusing and tedious, but he is back where he wants to be.
“I love coaching at the University of Utah and I am grateful that coach Whittingham welcomed me back,” he said.
