It’s starting to feel like Neal Brown is in it for the long run as the West Virginia Mountaineers Head Coach. Only 40 years old, Brown has already laid down roots and established himself as a Morgantown resident, and it’s unlikely that he will want to move again.
Why would he? Brown has the love, support and admiration of 1.8 million people in our state and he has as good of a chance of winning big here than anywhere else. Although West Virginia fans are not the most patient fanbase in the country, they will continue to support a coach who his best and doing it the right way.
In other words, Neal Brown could have a relatively cushy position at a competitive university for the rest of his working life if he wins consistently and continues to do things the right way.
With that said, Brown’s heart belongs in Kentucky. He was born there, attended school there, choose to continue his athletic career as a wide receiver at the University of Kentucky, and was the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats before taking a head coaching position at Troy.
Brown’s ties to “Appalachia” often get referenced, but home is home. As a West Virginian, Kentucky doesn’t mean anywhere near the same to me as West Virginia. West Virginia is home. Not Kentucky.
Kentucky plays in the powerful SEC conference, Kentucky could potentially pay Brown a lot more than West Virginia, and if Brown is as successful as is expected in Morgantown and Kentucky has an opening down the road, they will almost certainly try to lure him back home to Lexington.
Could you possibly blame Brown if he took more money to coach his home team in perhaps the best conference in college football? Although we would love for Neal Brown to stay here in Morgantown forever, the only thing that could pry him away is the perfect opportunity back home in Kentucky.
