Morgantown, West Virginia – It’s very unlikely that Neal Brown can save his job at West Virginia after an 0-2 start and a loss to Kansas at home.
Several names have popped up as a potential replacement for Brown following this season, but one big-time name has really gathered momentum in the past couple of days.
According to multiple sources, the major donors in and around Morgantown have zeroed in on Hugh Freeze to become the next head coach of the Mountaineers should Neal Brown be fired.
Freeze, 52, is the current head coach at Liberty, where he has compiled a 28-11 record in his 4th season with the team. Before coaching at Liberty, Freeze was a head coach in the SEC at Ole Miss. In 2015, Freeze’s Rebels beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, finishing that season with a 10-3 record and a Sugar Bowl win.
The following year, the NCAA charged Ole Miss with numerous recruiting violations, including car loans and cash given to players. In addition, phone records indicated that Freeze had made numerous calls to a female escort service. Freeze denied the allegations, but he was forced to resign or be fired and so he resigned from the position.
Freeze accepted the head coach position at Liberty and in his second year at the school, led The Flames to a 10-1 season.
Freeze is a proven head coach and would perhaps make an outstanding replacement for Neal Brown should he be fired. However, he does carry baggage and Shane Lyons will ultimately have to decide if he should listen to the donors and pursue him, or if he should go another direction.
There is a ton of smoke surrounding Freeze to West Virginia right now, however, and he should immediately be placed at or near the top of the list for potential replacement for Neal Brown as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.
