Cover Photo: Ben Queen/USA Today
MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — The hot topic that is being discussed in Morgantown and throughout West Virginia right now is whether Neal Brown will return as the head coach of the West Virginia Mounatineers or not. I’ve spoken to multiple people who I trust and who have been very accurate in the past, and here’s what I’ve learned:
The Decision on Neal Brown Has Already Been Made: The vast majority of the people that I’ve spoken to have said that WVU’s director of athletics Wren Baker has already decided if Brown will be back or not. A win, or a loss, against Texas Tech in the team’s regular season finale is not going to determine Brown’s future. Wren Baker is a deliberate thinker, and he knows and understands the importance of the decision he is about to make. If he sticks with Neal Brown and it doesn’t work out, his job could very much be on the line as well. The football program is by far the biggest money-earner for the athletic department, and he simply cannot allow another year of mediocrity to happen.
If Brown is to return, expect major changes from the assistant coaching staff, as well as a very short leash. The Mountaineers open with a relatively easy schedule year – Robert Morris at home, Ohio on the road, and then Pitt in the Backyard Brawl in Week 3 at home – but Baker knows that selling Neal Brown as the head coach to the fan base would be extremely challenging now, even if West Virginia wins tomorrow at Texas Tech and wins their bowl game. There is extreme dissatistication from the fans, and bringing back Brown in 2025 would certainly harm season ticket sales in a major way.
I personally can’t imagine a scenario in which Baker could put a positive spin on bringing Neal Brown back next season, even if his coaching staff is completely changed. Remember, it will be very difficult to get any defensive coordinator to come to West Virginia with a lame duck head coach returning; why would any successful, accomplished coordinator be willing to take that risk when the whole thing could blow up at any time? To me, this is perhaps the biggest and most important reason that Neal Brown returning in 2025 doesn’t make sense for the program.
Neal Brown is almost certainly going to be fired this weekend or early next week: Wren Baker has said multiple times that he will look at the entirety of a head coach’s tenure and not make a quick, emotional decision. If that’s true, and I believe it is, Baker certainly cannot be satisfied with what Neal Brown has done in 6 seasons in Morgantown. West Virginia is one of only three Power 4 teams who have not been in the Top 25 in the past six seasons, he has still not beaten a team that finished in the Top 25 and his record against the Big 12 is 25-27. Yes, West Virginia has won six games this season and is bowl eligible again, but the combined record of those six teams is 24-38. If you combine these numbers with the fanbase’s overall unhappiness with the program the last six seasons, and then combine that with Neal Brown’s embarrassing comments over the last month, it just doesn’t seem like there’s a possible road for him to return in 2025.
Expect a quick statement soon after the game tomorrow: We will know one way or the another if he’s returning or not in a couple of days. This is not a decision that will linger until the bowl game. Expect Wren Baker to announce that Brown is returning or fired by Sunday or Monday at the latest. Baker is very aware that a decisive decision is necessary, and I expect that to happen quickly.
My guess? Win or loss, Neal Brown will be fired. But let’s be real, we’ve been in this situation with him multiple times over the last few years and he’s found a way to survive. I believe this time is different and we have finally reached the end of his tenure in Morgantown, but only Wren Baker truly knows that right now, and he will let us all know very, very soon.
