The West Virginia Mountaineers have announced that they are firing head coach Neal Brown after six seasons with the team.
West Virginia, who went 6-6 in the regular season, made the announcement Sunday.
The announcement came one day after the team ended the regular season with an uninspiring 52-15 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker has announced a change in the leadership of the football program.https://t.co/We7Hgif27j
— WVU Sports (@WVUSports) December 1, 2024
“Coach Brown is a great person, and he has served as a tremendous ambassador for West Virginia University,” West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker said in a statement. “He led our storied program with class and integrity and always put in the hard work necessary to allow for success. We are grateful to Neal, his wife, Brooke, and their children for their contributions to our University, community and state, and we wish them the very best in their next endeavor.”
Brown was hired by the Mountaineers after the 2018 season, following a four-year stint as head coach of the Troy Trojans, during which he led the team to at least ten wins in three of his four seasons in charge.
Unfortunately for Brown, the success didn’t follow him to West Virginia. He finishes his time coaching the team with a 37-35 record and 25-28 in Big 12 play. They went 2-1 in bowl games, and won five or six games in five of Brown’s six seasons at the helm, with 2023’s 9-4 finish being an outlier.
Offensive coordinator Chad Scott will coach the Mountaineers in their upcoming bowl game.
Fans on social media had plenty to say about Brown’s firing.
“I wish Neal Brown best of luck in his future coaching aspirations. I respected and admired him as a role-model and a man of character. First-class human being,” one fan said.
Another shared the sentiment, saying, “I agree. I like Neal. He did things right in the culture. He did work with the community and did a lot with recruiting in-state, and represented us well. The wins though… If the wins aren’t there, none of the other stuff will keep you here. I wish him the best.”
Other fans were less willing to overlook Brown’s on-field struggles, though.
“Three seasons too late,” one fan declared.
“It’s about time,” another added.
