Morgantown, West Virginia – West Virginia won perhaps its only game this season, beating a severely over-matched Towson team.
Despite its lop-sided score, it changed absolutely nothing for Neal Brown and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
It didn’t get rid of the poor taste of losing to Pitt and it certainly didn’t make anyone forget about the Kansas humiliation. If today did anything, it reminded us just how much talent is being wasted right now.
West Virginia’s roster is loaded with talent, but they are very clearly not well-coached, and if something doesn’t change soon, Neal Brown will be out of job.
In fact, next week’s game at Virginia Tech will decide the future of Neal Brown in Morgantown. If the Mountaineers lose to the Hokies Thursday night, they would move to 1-3 on the season with games at Texas, at home against Baylor and on the road at Texas Tech looming.
At 1-6, changes would almost certainly have to be made at that point, if not sooner. The heat from donors and fans on Shane Lyons to make a move would become too great and with his job potentially on the line as well, he will be forced to take action.
Remember, Lyons peculiarly gave Brown a contact extension and raise after he was 11-11 in two seasons with the Mountaineers. This extension put West Virginia in terrible shape with a massive buyout in place if he is fired before his contract is up in 2026.
This, of course, does not please West Virginia’s major donors and they have already expressed this anger and disappointment in Lyons’ decision. If things get much worse – losing at Virginia Tech, then against Texas and Baylor – donors will assuredly come up with the money for Brown’s buyout and hold Lyons accountable for putting the university in this situation.
Lyons will have to walk a fine line between his loyalty to Brown and keeping donors and fans happy. Lyons statement following West Virginia’s loss against Kansas was certainly not a vote of confidence, and if the Mountaineers fall at Virginia Tech, Neal Brown’s seat will only get warmer.
