MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Shane Lyons hired Neal Brown just over two years ago to lead the WVU football program and he is doubling down on his bet. On Thursday, Lyons announced that Brown’s contract has been extended by two years through the end of the 2026 season.
“The recruiting seems to be going very, very well. He has created a culture within the program of a family atmosphere. In all areas, I saw improvement. I expect that in the next year that we have a good season in the fall of 2021. I am betting on the future and am betting on Neal Brown to keep him here in Morgantown,” Lyons said on MetroNews Talkline Friday morning.
Brown has posted an 11-11 record in his two seasons in Morgantown. WVU went 6-4 in 2019 with three games coming off the original schedule due to COVID.
“I am not going to hide from it, you look at Neal’s record and it is .500. However, you have to look at the whole picture. We missed two games this year in the non-conference schedule. Do you win those two games? You could have had eight wins in there.
“I know sometimes in the world today, we want instantaneous success. What I look at is that it is a process. Are we building on something and do I have the right coach? My gut is telling me we have the right coach. Would I like to have eight or nine wins this year, ten wins the following year and make it to the Big 12 Championship game and the College Football Playoff? That is what I am betting on.”
Lyons is hoping that the Mountaineers can follow a similar arch of progress to what a Big 12 rival has done by averaging eight wins a season over the last four years.
“Looking at what Matt Campbell did at Iowa State, I see a lot of resemblance in our two programs. That’s where it is heading.”
While WVU, like many schools, is navigating through significant budget restraints due to lost revenue in a pandemic year, Lyons acknowledges it was essential to increase salaries on the football staff.
“I can’t stand still even though we have budget constraints and we continue to work through those. At the same time, I have to be competitive within a market,” Lyons said. “Within the Big 12, as a salary pool with our head coach we were ninth in the league. This moves us to about seventh in the league.”
Brown will be paid $3.15 million in the 2021 season with escalators extending the salary up to $4.4 million in the 2026 season.
If the University terminates Brown’s contract prior to December 31, 2024, Brown will be paid the full value of the remaining years on the deal. That figure drops to 85 percent after the 2024 season. If Brown leaves WVU, he will be responsible for 25 percent of remaining contract value in damages to the University. That figure drops to 15 percent following the 2024 season.
Performance incentives for Brown’s contract kick in if the team hits the 8-win mark in the regular season. Brown will be paid $100,000 for an 8-win season and he will be paid an additional $25,000 for each win leading up to a maximum of $200,000 for a 12-win season.
Brown will also receive $250,000 for winning the Big 12 Championship. A bowl appearance will merit a $50,000 bonus and a CFP national title nets $300,000. Coach of the Year and academic incentives are also included.