Keep Neal Brown

Then-athletic director Shane Lyons celebrates with Mountaineer head coach Neal Brown after defeating the Oklahoma Sooners. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia University should keep Neal Brown as the head football coach, and that decision should be made quickly.

It feels as though Brown has been hanging by a thread.  Disappointing defeats and subpar performances in multiple games this year increased the possibility that Brown would be fired after four seasons.

The story took an unexpected turn two weeks ago, when President Gordon Gee fired Director of Athletics Shane Lyons and announced that no decision about Brown would be made until Lyons’ replacement is hired.

It is hard to imagine that a new AD will be able to thoroughly evaluate Brown.  Gee will have a say in what happens to Brown, and my sense is the president wants to keep him.

Brown’s record is 22-25, but that losing record has asterisks.

The previous coach left a mess behind. Recruiting had fallen off and the program was disorganized. Brown returned order to the Puskar Center and refocused attention on recruiting and player development.

Brown’s efforts have been hampered by player departures, said long-time Blue and Gold News editor and publisher Greg Hunter.  “Unfortunately, the player development hasn’t borne as much fruit as hoped to this point because a number of promising young players have left the program just as they seemingly were starting to maximize their talent,” said Hunter.

However, Hunter and others who follow the sport closely believe Brown and his staff are having recruiting success, especially with the 2022 and 2023 classes. “Those players are too young—or are not even here yet—to have a huge impact to this point, but if they stay, they appear to have the talent to lead WVU to better moments in the future,” Hunter said.

Despite the losses and the NIL temptations from other schools, Brown has been able to keep the locker room. That was evident when the Mountaineers played with grit and determination last Saturday, winning on the road at  Oklahoma State.  That says something about Brown’s ability to build strong bonds with his players.

A change now would destroy the most recent recruiting and send even more players to the portal. The program would take steps backward before a new coach could get his feet firmly planted and start the long rebuild.

Then there is always the money. WVU is paying Lyons $2.4 million over the next two years. Brown would be owed $16 million over the next four years, minus anything he would make from his next job. WVU would also owe fired assistant coaches, meaning the University is looking at a problem of over $20 million.

Lyons was openly critical of the on-field performance of the football team. Lyons had candid conversations with Brown, and he would have been willing to make a change if he thought it necessary. However, Lyons said on Talkline Monday that he does not believe WVU should fire Brown.

“I would want to keep him. I think he checks every box that we’re looking for as a head coach,” Lyons said. “Unfortunately, the big box he needs to check is to win more football games. I believe that’s coming in the future.”

That is no longer Lyons’ decision. However, he has been closer to the program over the last four years than anyone else in WVU’s administration. His opinion, even on the way out the door, should count for something.

 

 

 

 





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