After some speculation that West Virginia was courting Minnesota’s Kirk Ciarrocca, it’s been reported that the offensive coordinator will be returning to the Gophers in 2019.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported that Ciarrocca is staying in Minneapolis for his third season with the program. He came with P.J. Fleck in 2017 from Western Michigan.

The interest from West Virginia came with the hiring of Neal Brown as the new head coach. He and Ciarrocca had worked on the same staff at Delaware in 2005. Ultimately, the offensive coordinator has decided to remain with the Golden Gophers.

With some of the talent that’s returning to the offense, it’s hard to blame Ciarrocca for his decision.

The Gophers averaged 28.9 points per game and 379.6 yards per game in 2018, both improvements from the previous year. Minnesota also had great production from star receiver Tyler Johnson and freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

Minnesota finished the year 7-6, winning three of their last four games which included victories over Wisconsin and Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Ciarrocca has been a member of P.J. Flecks since 2013, joining him at Western Michigan. The 2019 season will mark the seventh season the two have worked together.