(Photo by WVU Athletics)
The 2022 season was a massive disappointment for Neal Brown and the Mountaineers. Going into his fourth season at the helm, this was the year that West Virginia was expected to make a jump and compete in the upper half of the Big 12 Conference.
Unfortunately for Brown, that did not happen. Instead, WVU finished with a 5-7 record and a 3-6 mark in Big 12 play. For the third time in four seasons, WVU had a losing record under Brown’s leadership. This has the former Troy head coach firmly on the hot seat, as well as in the light of the national media.
Patrick Conn of LonghornsWire recently revealed his power rankings for the Big 12 coaches in 2022, and as expected, Brown was towards the bottom of these rankings.
All the way down at 9th out of 10 potential coaches.
Here is what Conn had to say about Brown and the Mountaineers;
“The Mountaineers added former five-star quarterback J.T. Daniels during the offseason but it didn’t matter much. Nothing seemed to go right for WVU, who were projected to finish No. 8 in the preseason media poll. They ended up at No. 8 with a 3-6 conference record, tied with Oklahoma and Kansas.”
For media outlets all across the country and Big 12 to be taking notice of Brown’s shortcomings at WVU, this certainly can’t bode well for him moving forward – especially under new Athletic Director Wren Baker.
The 2023 season will be pivotal for Brown. He currently holds a 22-25 record and will be pressed to finish the campaign with more than 6-wins. It will take a lot of work with the roster, but Brown will have to make it happen.
If not, there’s a legitimate possibility he will be looking for work in 2024.
