MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Neal Brown’s seat is on fire before the 2023 football season has even started. Brown, who enters his 5th season as the head coach of the Mountaineers, has the hottest seat in Power 5 Conference football, according to Athlon Sports.
Athlon Sports had the following to say about Brown entering the season: “Brown sits on the hottest seat in college football going into the 2023 season. The Mountaineers have recorded losing records in three of the four years with Brown at the helm, and his overall mark sits at 22-25 in Morgantown. After a 6-4 record in the abbreviated 2020 season, West Virginia has posted back-to-back losing marks — a first for the program since 1978-79. New athletic director Wren Baker opted to keep Brown after his hire in late November. But a slow start would likely equal the end of Brown’s run in Morgantown.”
To make matters worse, West Virginia has one of the most difficult schedules in college football for the upcoming season and opens the season at Happy Valley against the Penn State Nittany Lions, who have one of the best defenses in the nation, in a night game on national television.
In addition to Brown, former West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen also appeared on the Athlon’s list of head coaches on the hot seat. Here’s what Athlon Sports had to say about Holgorsen, who is now the head coach at Houston: “Houston is only one year removed from a 12-win season under Holgorsen. However, the Cougars massively underachieved with an 8-5 mark a year later. The move to the Big 12 only adds to the pressure on Holgorsen to get this program to the next level.”
