I know this happened earlier today and there is no thread, but the hire has drawn some controversy.
Ken Kendrick, part owner of the Diamondbacks and a major contributor to WVU, denounced the move and compared it to "hiring a painter for a house when they had an architect in place".
I'm not a big fan of WVU, but I think they made the right choice for right now. The team had been through hell since the Pitt game and then Rodriguez leaving. Bill Stewart had the overwhelming support of the players as evidenced by the play in the Fiesta Bowl last night. If a coach was brought in outside the organization, you would almost certainly see Steve Slaton and Pat White go pro, and Noel Devine possibly transferring. Not to mention Stewart gives them the best chance to keep Josh Jenkins in state.
The contract is for five years at four million total. If Stewart does indeed falter past next season after White and Slaton graduate and cannot succeed in Rich Rodriguez's footsteps, it's not like they will have to eat much of a contract.
It's not the best long term solution, but for the short term, they need to keep the team together.
On a lighter note, here in Parkersburg, the big joke was that WVU should have hired a former coach of Parkersburg High who would be "behind them all the way". If anybody here is from West Virginia, I think you can guess who I am referring to.