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.
Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez: A RichRod return would be the ultimate WVU homecoming. Some might never forgive him for his first exit from Morgantown, but that was 17 years ago. Rodriguez, 61, has had plenty of bumps along the way, but his performance at Jacksonville State reinforces that he can still successfully lead teams. Jacksonville State is 26-10 under Rodriguez and will play for a Conference USA title later this week. He's 189-129-2 overall as a head coach, but his success at West Virginia -- 60-26 overall, AP top-11 finishes in each of his final three seasons - jumps out. West Virginia might not want a nostalgia hire, but Rodriguez could be exactly what the program needs right now.
Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell: He could be a candidate for just about any upcoming Power 4 opening, especially those in the South, Southeast or mid-Atlantic. Chadwell, 47, is 52-10 since the start of the 2020 season at Coastal Carolina and Liberty, which he led to a 13-0 start and a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2023. The knock on him remains no Power 4 experience, even as an assistant, but his distinct offense and understanding of how to oversee programs has worked at multiple places. Chadwell is a Tennessee native who worked mostly in South Carolina before Liberty, which isn't far from WVU.
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson: Among the coordinator pool, Dawson likely has the best shot at WVU, given his previous time there and his success this season with quarterback Cam Ward at Miami. Dawson, 47, served as a WVU assistant from 2011 to 2014 under Dana Holgorsen, spending the past three seasons as the team's offensive coordinator. He also has had coordinator stops at Kentucky, Southern Miss and Houston, but his work at Miami, which has the nation's No. 1 offense for both yards and points, has been impressive.
Jimbo Fisher: He's out of coaching and sitting on a historic pile of buyout money, but Fisher likely will find his way back to the sideline. The Clarksburg, West Virginia, native could return home and bring national championship credentials and buzz to WVU. But Fisher is also 11 years removed from his national title team at Florida State, and he dramatically underachieved with Texas A&M, which paid more than $75 million to fire him. Fisher, 59, wouldn't have the same resources in Morgantown, and he would need to sell Baker on a stronger plan for staffing, talent acquisition and other areas.
Marshall coach Charles Huff: After years as an SEC and Big Ten assistant, Huff took his first head-coaching role at Marshall and made an early splash, upsetting Notre Dame in September 2022. Marshall plateaued a bit before a nice surge this season, when the team went 9-3 and won the Sun Belt East Division. Huff, 41, spent five years with James Franklin at Penn State and Vanderbilt, and also worked under Nick Saban at Alabama. The Virginia native brings regional knowledge, especially after working within West Virginia, and understands the recruiting and portal landscape well.
UNLV coach Barry Odom: The Big 12 seems like a logical next stop for Odom, who hasn't coached in the league but has been on the outskirts at Missouri, Arkansas and Memphis. He has put himself at or near the top of the Group of 5 coaching wish list with two excellent seasons at UNLV, which once again will play for a Mountain West title later this week. Odom is 19-7 with the Rebels after a 25-25 run as Missouri's head coach. He brings a strong defensive background but also has openness to innovative offense, like the "Go-Go" scheme coordinator Brennan Marion operates at UNLV.
Bill Clark: The former UAB coach is healthy and ready to return to coaching after back problems forced him to retire in 2022. Clark, 56, doesn't have a direct connection to West Virginia, and, like Brown, would be coming there from the state of Alabama, where he has spent almost his entire career. His success at UAB is undeniable, though, especially after the program shuttered for two years after the 2014 season. Clark led UAB to two conference titles and three straight championship game appearances from 2018 to 2020. He went 49-26 at the school and is 60-30 overall as a college coach.
Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield: He has quietly done a solid job, especially during the past two seasons, and has positioned himself for upcoming Power 4 openings. Memphis is 20-5 over the span, recording consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in team history. Silverfield, who took over for Mike Norvell in late 2019 before the Cotton Bowl, endured some initial turbulence but has hit his stride lately and should have Memphis positioned to contend for future CFP appearances. The 44-year-old has NFL experience with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings and has worked in different regions of the country.
Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton: His hiring drew some skepticism at the time, but he has done well at WKU, recording eight or more wins in five of his six seasons and an overall record of 48-30 with four bowl wins. Helton's offenses are consistently among the nation's best, and he has worked relatively close to West Virginia at WKU, Cincinnati and Tennessee. Helton, 47, nearly got the Purdue job when it opened two years ago and likely will make a move soon to the Power 4.