Neal Brown fired: 7 coaching candidates for West Virginia football

Posted by Admin December 1, 2024 Football

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West Virginia football announced a coaching change Sunday, as it fired Neal Brown after finishing 6-6 in his sixth season with the Mountaineers.

Brown, whose buyout was set at $9.775 million according to USA TODAY’s head coaches salary database, finished his West Virginia tenure with a 37-35 record, only finishing with more than six wins once, when the Mountaineers won nine games in 2023.

Who will fill West Virginia’s opening?

There will be plenty of suitors for the Mountaineers opening, as the program has seen success in the past under multiple had coaches.

Here’s a list of potential replacements for Brown at West Virginia:

West Virginia head coaching candidates

Jimbo Fisher, former Texas A&M head coach

Fisher, who was fired midseason at Texas A&M a season ago, is from Clarksville, West Virginia, and may be looking to get back into college football coaching. If so, returning home to West Virginia could be an option.

The 59-year-old former coach finished 45-25 with the Aggies, a job he took after seeing tremendous success at Florida State. Fisher won the 2013 national championship, leading the Seminoles to an undefeated season as quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy.

Texas A&M paid a record-breaking $77 million buyout to fire Fisher in 2023, so there’s a chance he’s on a remote island and may never return to the college ranks. But he’s worth a call for the Mountaineers.

Jamey Chadwell, Liberty head coach

Chadwell has seen plenty of success across his two head coaching tenures, and currently resides at Liberty, which neighbors West Virginia in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Chadwell has a 21-4 record at Liberty, leading the Flames to a 13-1 record and Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2023. He’s also 8-3 in 2024.

Chadwell took the Liberty job after compiling a 39-22 record at Coastal Carolina through four seasons and is a proven commodity in the region.

Barry Odom, UNLV head coach

Odom has UNLV in College Football Playoff contention, should it be able to upset Boise State in the Mountain West championship game on Saturday. The Rebels have gotten to this point despite starting quarterback Matthew Sluka abruptly leaving the team in September.

The former Missouri coach also crossed paths with West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker at Missouri, where Odom spent four seasons as the head coach from 2016-19.

Odom has a 19-7 record in two seasons with the Rebels and should be among the top names of the 2024 coaching carousel after reviving a once-struggling UNLV program.

Shannon Dawson, Miami offensive coordinator

Dawson, a former West Virginia play caller, has led the Hurricanes’ dynamic offense in 2024, with Miami quarterback Cam Ward as a Heisman Trophy candidate and leading the country in passing yards.

Dawson worked under former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen from 2011-14, and has since served as the offensive coordinator at Kentucky, Southern Miss and Houston, who’s now in the Big 12.

Hiring Dawson might feel like a “let’s run it back” hire, but he has had success offensively as recently as 2024, and has experience with the Mountaineers in the past.

Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State head coach

As if Dawson wasn’t enough of a blast from the past, West Virginia could call Rodriguez, who led West Virginia to four Big East Championships from 2001-07.

Rodriguez left WVU to coach at Michigan, where he famously failed with the Wolverines, but has since found success at Jacksonville State, which recently made the move to Division I FBS. Rodriguez has a 26-10 record with the Gamecocks and has a 17-8 record since they moved to FBS in Conference USA.

Jason Candle, Toledo head coach

Candle has been in no hurry to leave Toledo, where he has served as the Rockets’ head coach since 2016. However, the successful MAC coach could be looking for the next move in 2024.

Candle has a 72-40 record in nine seasons with the Rockets, as they finished with a 7-5 record in 2024 after a 9-5 and 11-3 finish in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He was also the MAC Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2023.

Candle has only ever coached at two schools in Division III Mount Union, his alma mater, and Toledo, where he has coached since 2009. He may not be considering a move, given his longstanding commitment to the program.

Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State offensive coordinator

Kotelnicki has led Penn State’s offense for only a season, but his stock is rising and could potentially make a head coaching move in the 2024 offseason.

Kotelnicki broke away from Kansas coach Lance Leipold after the 2023 season, breaking up the two coaches for the first time in Kotelnicki’s career as the pair had been together since 2013-14 at Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The 43-year-old Minnesota native is familiar with the area, as he was also the offensive coordinator at Buffalo from 2015-20 before taking the Kansas job alongside Leipold in 2020.