MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Former West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown was fired back in December and reportedly garnered interest from several programs, including UMASS, Applachian State, Charlotte, Jacksonville State and Wake Forest. However, Brown was said to turn down one or more of those positions and decided to remain a free agent. However, a position opened up yesterday that he is being mentioned as a candidate for that could be very interesting for him. The position is the now-vacant offensive coordinator position for the national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Yesterday, Chip Kelly, the former offensive coordinator of the Buckeyes, decided to leave the program to become the OC for the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL, leaving a big hole for champions and according to Brad Crawford of 247 Sports, Brown is a candidate for the position.
Here’s what Crawford had to say about Brown potentially replacing Kelly at Ohio State: “Neal Brown is an offensive guru of sorts, but his time at West Virginia flatlined this season. He finished with a 37-35 record as coach of the Mountaineers, including a 25-28 in Big 12 Conference play. Brown’s offensive philosophy is spread based and balanced. That would be an ideal fit for Ohio State, which makes a transition to a new quarterback in 2025 within what will likely be a pass-centric attack with Julian Sayin under center. Brown has no ties to Ohio State, but is a respected offensive mind.”
Brown told Hoppy Kercheval on MetroNews Sportsline days after his firing that he would like to coach again in 2025. “I want to coach. I think there’s a lot of positives from a personal perspective and professionally and there’s some really good jobs open. There’s jobs that are resourced well in leagues that you can go win, and so my anticipation is that I will, but time will tell.”
Despite Brown’s lack of success at WVU, he is still highly respected in the coaching circles and West Virginia’s director of athletics Wren Baker gave him a rave review for his time in Morgantown: “Coach Brown is a great person, and he has served as a tremendous ambassador for West Virginia University,” Baker said in a statement when the program let Brown go. “He led our storied program with class and integrity and always put in the hard work necessary to allow for success.”
If Ohio State is truly interested in him, don’t be surprised to see Neal Brown calling plays for the defending national champions next season!
