West Virginia set to fire head coach Neal Brown

West Virginia is set to fire head coach Neal Brown, according to CBS. The head coach closes his career in Morgantown with a 37–35 record over six seasons, capped off by a 52-15 loss on Saturday at Texas Tech.

Hired in January 2019 after posting three consecutive 10-plus win seasons at Troy, Brown struggled in his first four seasons with the Mountaineers, posting a 22-25 mark. But West Virginia significantly improved in 2023, posting a 9-4 record with a No. 25 final ranking in the Coaches Poll.

Brown is expected to be owed roughly $9.7 million. This will mark West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker’s first football head coaching hire at the school. Baker arrived at West Virginia in 2022 after six years as the athletic director at North Texas and previously an administrator with Missouri. West Virginia administration has been in conversations with Brown’s camp about his future since before the Thanksgiving holiday.

West Virginia was expected to take the next step in 2024 and received votes in the AP preseason poll. But the Mountaineers faltered in the season opener against rival Penn State, falling 34-12, and never finding their footing. Brown’s final WVU team posted a 6-6 season and is bowl eligible.

West Virginia finished with a 5-4 record in the Big 12 and No. 9 in league standings. Brown fired defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley, who had been with him since his time at Troy, in early November. West Virginia finished the season allowing 396.0 yards per game.

“Our record at the end wasn’t what we hoped for,” Brown said after the Texas Tech loss. “I have no problem admitting that. It wasn’t what we hoped for. Over the course of the year there were times where people doubted and our guys bounced back.”

Neal Brown climbed the college football coach rankings as an offensive coordinator at Troy, Texas Tech and Kentucky. He will have options to coach next season, including his alma mater, UMass, which is in the midst of a coaching search.