Iowa State Cyclones athletic director Jamie Pollard announced Sunday that head football coach Paul Rhoads is fired, effective after the season, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.
The Cyclones suffered a tough loss to the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday 38-35, and after being outscored 24-0 in the second half the university, they likely felt it was time for a change. Iowa State fell to 3-8 on the season after Saturday's loss and are currently the third to last team in the Big 12 standings with only two conference wins this season.
Rhoads' dismissal from the university is not a surprise, as he has a record of 32-54 over seven seasons with the Cyclones. Rhoads' tried to create a new atmosphere in October by firing offensive coordinator Mark Mangino, but his replacement Todd Sturdy has not improved the Cyclones offense since the move.
Rhoades has not had a winning season since his first year in 2009, and even that season was not exceptional as the Cyclones finished 7-6 on the season. The Cyclones signed Rhoads to $20 million deal for ten years in 2011, and they now owe him almost $4.6 million for being terminated. The university will have to pay $750,000 for each year remaining on his deal.
Rhoads will coach his last game as the Cyclones head coach this upcoming Saturday against the West Virginia Mountaineers, and it will be interesting to see how his players perform given the news. The Cyclones will start searching for their next head coach, but they will have plenty of competition attracting top coaches this offseason, as USC and Miami will also be in search for a new head coach this offseason.
