Obvious Changes That Must Be Made Before West Virginia Plays Pitt Next Season

Morgantown, West Virginia 17-18 overall in his third season as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, Neal Brown has failed the West Virginia football program and the people of the great state of West Virginia.

While the university has asked for patience, the time for patience has run out.  Following a 6-7 record this season, Brown’s “Trust the Climb” has now become an absolute joke.  A “climb” implies progress and there simply hasn’t been any progress on the field for the Mountaineers since Brown arrived in Morgantown.

With that said, Brown must make the following changes immediately.  

1 – Hire an offensive coordinator

One issue that is glaringly obvious is the lack of a real offensive coordinator with actual experience at the position.  While Head Coach Neal Brown has plenty of experience as an offensive coordinator, his duties as the leader of the program are far-reaching, and he should not have to focus his energy and time on calling offensive plays.  And again, he has not produced results on the field as the play-caller.

Neal Brown’s offense is not only too often stagnant and predictable, it lacks identity.

Who are the Mountaineers on offense?  Are they a run team, or a passing team, or both?  How exactly would you describe West Virginia’s offense under Neal Brown?

Since arriving in Morgantown, Brown has been very, very conservative offensively, particularly on key third down plays.  His questionable play calls have been responsible for missing out on many opportunities to win games. 

An experienced, accomplished offensive coordinator would do wonders for the Mountaineers.  Virtually every football program in the country has an offensive coordinator that calls plays and does not rely on its head coach for a reason…it’s what works best!

2 – Fire Matt Moore as the Offensive Line Coach  

Brown simply cannot allow the poor blocking and offensive play to continue, and axing his longtime friend Matt Moore might be the very best way to buy him some time with the fan base.  While the offensive struggles are certainly not entirely Moore’s fault, the offensive line has never been good since he’s arrived in Morgantown and he will make an easy scapegoat for the struggles.

Firing Matt Moore is a first step in Brown winning back the confidence of the West Virginia fans.  It shows that he is willing to make a cutthroat decision for the betterment of the football program.

3 – Play the quarterback that gives the team the best chance of winning

The Jarret Doege Era is officially over. Anyone with a pulse sees that he doesn’t have it and as a redshirt senior, he never will.

Brown’s insistence that Doege was the team’s most improved player during the offseason has to make you re-think whether Neal Brown is a good judge of talent or not.

Brown’s blind loyalty to Doege has hurt the West Virginia football program and it’s way past time to move on from this mess that he’s created.

4 – Continue to recruit at a high level and play young players

In order for West Virginia to be successful in the future, Brown must not only continue to land big-time talents, he must also be willing to play them. Brown must learn to trust young players and allow them room to grow on the field.

Sensational freshman quarterback Nicco Marchiol is the perfect player to step in and lead the Mountaineers from Day 1.