Neal Brown wasn’t without a head coaching job for long.
Exactly 366 days after being fired following his sixth season at West Virginia, Brown has landed his next head coaching gig at North Texas.
“We are thrilled to welcome Neal Brown as our next head football coach,” said Jared Mosley, UNT Vice President/Director of Athletics. “Neal is a proven leader who builds programs with integrity, vision and an unwavering commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field. His history of elevating rosters, developing talent and producing results in highly competitive leagues makes him an ideal fit for North Texas. We are confident that his leadership will position the Mean Green for sustained success, and we look forward to the impact he and his family will have on our program and our community for years to come.”
Fired up to welcome @Coach_NealBrown and his family to Denton! Will share more at the introductory press conference. We got a difference maker! Excited for the future of @MeanGreenFB under his leadership! #GMG 🦅 https://t.co/WM0rlJIVPe
— Jared Mosley (@mosleyj22) December 2, 2025
Brown will replace Eric Morris, who has agreed to become the next head coach at Oklahoma State at the conclusion of North Texas’ 2025 season.
The Mean Green (11-1) face Tulane (10-2) in the American Athletic Conference Championship on Friday with the winner likely in line to qualify for the College Football Playoff.
The 45-year-old Brown has 10 years of experience as a head coach. He compiled a 35-16 record at Troy from 2015-18, before finishing 37-35 at West Virginia from 2019-24.
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to partner with Jared in leading North Texas Football!” Brown said in a school release. “Several key criteria drove my analysis of opportunities this cycle — alignment, relationships, resources, opportunity, and community. Jared and his team presented a clear vision of why North Texas and Denton check all those boxes and then some. Football in Texas is special and my family and I can’t wait to pour everything we have into the North Texas campus and Denton. Most importantly, our program will always be a player-driven program, and I look forward to getting to know this team and building our roster for the future! For now, let’s all get behind the Mean Green as they prepare to win an American Conference Championship.”
— Neal Brown (@Coach_NealBrown) December 2, 2025
During his time in Morgantown, Brown helped lead the Mountaineers to four bowl games in six years, though he did not coach WVU in a Scooter’s Frisco Coffee Bowl loss to Memphis to wrap up the 2024 campaign.
The Mountaineers finished 9-4 in 2023 and defeated North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. That was the only season WVU won more than six games under Brown, though it reached that mark in 2020 while playing only 10 contests.
North Texas won between five and seven games each season from 2021-24.
Current West Virginia Vice President/Director of Athletics Wren Baker held the same two titles at North Texas from 2016-22 until his arrival in Morgantown.
Congrats @Coach_NealBrown! You and @mosleyj22 will make a great team! #GMG https://t.co/uk9Zt2HcJN
— Wren Baker (@wrenbaker) December 3, 2025
WVU men’s basketball head coach Ross Hodge, in his first season with the Mountaineers, was head coach of the Mean Green the previous two seasons.
Brown was at Texas this year as a Special Assistant to the Head Coach.