Surprisingly, Neal Brown has become a hot topic of debate in the Mountain State in just two years. Some love the coach, some hate him, some want him in Morgantown forever, and then you have the idiots who want him fired immediately. I’m not sure how his career will play out in Morgantown, nor am I certain of how long he will be here. What I am certain of, however, is that Brown earned a contract extension in 2020.
This season was complicated. The Mountaineers didn’t have spring practice, they were still working with a relatively young roster, and they did everything they had to do to keep COVID-19 out of the building. While most teams under these circumstances would almost certainly have crippled, Neal Brown’s squad didn’t.
The on-the-field success was also there in 2020. West Virginia was one of the most improved teams in College Football, fielding one of the best defenses in the nation, while also working out the troubles of a running game that was one of the worst in the country in 2019. After finishing with a 5-7 record the year prior, the Mountaineers finished with a winning record at 6-4, and won a bowl game for the first time since 2016. That signifies steady growth within a program if you ask me.
Brown has taken all of the right steps so far, engaging with fans to get them excited for the future, creating an atmosphere that some of the best recruits want to come play in, as well as simply recruiting a very high level. Outside of a few losses and on-field hiccups, nothing Neal Brown has done at West Virginia has hurt the program as it rebuilds.
With the progress and ascension of the program forthcoming, I believe that it is time to extend Neal Brown’s contract. Once teams around the nation realize the success that he is having in Morgantown, as well as what he is building, they will begin to come after Brown with their checkbooks ready. As a program, West Virginia needs to do everything possible to ensure that Brown will be in Morgantown for the long haul, and to at least see the complete rebuilding of the program through.
