Neal Brown entered the 2023 season squarely on the hot seat and delivered a 9-4 record, his best at West Virginia since arriving in January 2019. A literal hot-seat cool-off came after WVU won the Duke's Mayo Bowl, as Brown doused himself in his least favorite condiment.
West Virginia entered the 2024 campaign with much higher aspirations, including for a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance. Brown bristled when the Mountaineers didn't crack the preseason polls, and he felt their preseason Big 12 poll placement (seventh) wasn't respectful either. WVU returned quarterback Garrett Greene, offensive line standout Wyatt Milum and other key contributors.
But Brown's sixth season in Morgantown more closely resembled his first four, as West Virginia had uneven performances and never won more than two consecutive games. Fan and booster angst continued to rise. Brown's comments following a loss to Iowa State about fans still having a "good time" at the stadium didn't hit well. A 52-15 faceplant at Texas Tech in the regular-season finale Saturday dropped WVU to 6-6 and sealed Brown's fate. Despite a contract extension in May, Brown was fired Sunday with an overall record of 37-35.
West Virginia has a proud fan base and has had bursts of national success, but the program also has undeniable challenges. The question is how much traction WVU can achieve in the Big 12, especially as a geographical outlier. Two notable names loom over the search: Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez, who led WVU to national prominence before his controversial exit to Michigan; and Jimbo Fisher, the former Texas A&M and Florida State coach who grew up in West Virginia.
Will athletic director Wren Baker make a splashy hire or seek a different type of candidate to replace Brown? Here are nine potential candidates for the WVU job.
