Pete Thamel provides harrowing update on future of Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers
Pete Thamel of ESPN provided a harrowing update on the future of Neal Brown at West Virginia.
According to the college football analyst, Brown’s job could be on the line over the rest of the 2022 season, with a decision that the Mountaineers head football coach wouldn’t like squarely on the table.
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“Neal Brown’s job at West Virginia is squarely in flux,” reported Thamel via ESPN College GameDay. “That’s what sources have told me. No decision has been made yet on Brown’s future, but at 20-24 through four seasons and at 3-6 now, a loss to Oklahoma today would mean that Brown would have three losing seasons in four years. Further complicating things, Brown’s owed $17 million after signing a two-year extension in 2021.
“That number’s subject to offset, but the financial mess leaves the fate of Athletic Director Shane Lyons squarely in the crosshair. Sources have told me that if Brown is gone, there’s a strong possibility that Lyons may not be around to hire his successor.”
While it’s no secret Brown hasn’t taken the Mountaineers where he was expected to when he took his talents to West Virginia, he may not have the chance to turn things around following the disappointment that 2022 has presented. Time will tell what the Big 12 program decides to do, but Pete Thamel is laying it all on the line, Brown needs to win some games over the remainder of the season.
Neal Brown shares strong thoughts on Oklahoma’s offense
Regardless, there’s a game to be played on Saturday, and Neal Brown shared his thoughts on the Oklahoma offense ahead of West Virginia taking on the Sooners.
The Mountaineers need a victory in the worst way, and their leader recognizes that won’t come easy against one of the best teams in the Big 12. Speaking with the media, Brown had nothing but praise for the Sooners offense.
“I think offensively, you start with them, it’s Dillon Gabriel,” began Brown. “He’s a dual threat guy, he can run, he’s got a quick release, really strong arm. The running back [Eric] Gray, who transferred a year ago from Tennessee, he’s doing it in both the running and the passing game. They’re running the ball well, they always, Bill Bedenbaugh, who was here, some of you guys know him, I think he does a great job. They’re running the ball well. I think the tight end, [Brayden] Willis, is having an all-conference type season. Then always, always talented at wideout. [Marvin] Mims is leading the charge, and they’re going to play really fast.
“Obviously we’ve had our struggles with that against Texas Tech, so we’ve got to be better there.”
While the matchup between the two Big 12 squads doesn’t have the juice it’s had in past seasons, both teams could use the victory moving forward. When kickoff comes this Saturday, Neal Brown hopes West Virginia is on the right side of the scoreboard.