West Virginia had arguably the toughest schedule of any team in the Big 12 in 2024, and through 10 games, Neal Brown has the Mountaineers at 5-5.
It’s not exactly the record that WVU fans were hoping for, especially after a 9-4 campaign in 2023. If it weren’t for his buyout (~$10 million) and the Mountaineers’ financial situation, Brown would probably already be out in Morgantown.
However, there are some Group of Five programs out there that might be operating under the assumption that Brown will be available for a job elsewhere in 2025.
One such program — the UMass Minutemen — has listed Neal Brown as a potential head coach candidate after firing head coach Don Brown earlier this week.
According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Neal Brown is one of the candidates to take over for the Minutemen, alongside New Hampshire head coach Ricky Santos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
“Another top choice is Neal Brown, the current head coach at West Virginia – where he has gone 36-34 and won two bowl games since taking over in 2019,” the Gazette notes. “Brown played wide receiver at UMass in the early 2000s before joining the Minutemen staff as the tight ends coach. UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes crossed paths and was very involved with Neal Brown at West Virginia, and the Paul Gorham Auditorium inside of the Martin Jacobson Football Performance Center was donated by Neal Brown and his wife Brooke.”
