MAILBAG: 29 Questions on Neal Brown's Future, Contract, Wren Baker, NIL + More

Answering this week's questions from the fans.

Schuyler Callihan | Oct 21, 2024

West Virginia University head coach Neal Brown with his son Dax. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

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West Virginia Mountaineers

Following West Virginia's latest loss, Mountaineer fans hopped all over the opportunity to submit questions to this week's mailbag with a record-setting 29 questions. Well, I've got 29 answers for you.

Let's dig in, shall we?

From @wvufan2023:

Q: When will Wren and the administration step up and fire him? These kinds of showings are unacceptable and until something changes, fans won’t show up.

A: Alright, since this will be the first of many questions regarding this, I'll give a little more in-depth here. Believe it or not, the university has nothing to gain by firing him now. You pay him more of a buyout, the portal immediately opens for WVU players, and although it's whacky to say, they're still mathematically in the mix for the Big 12.

Is it likely that they get there? No, but that's the truth. I've been very critical of Brown and have pointed out several data points that show he's not getting the job done. But firing him at this very moment only puts WVU in more of a bind. If/when a move happens, it'll be late next month.

From @Mountiealum97:

Q: Can we get Cignetti? Also did any of the media ask Brown if he had fun?

A: Not a chance. Cignetti and his family love Indiana and there's zero motivation for him to want to leave a program he just arrived at and is having tremendous success at. I get he played here and such, but it doesn't make sense for him and really, it doesn't make sense for WVU. No offense to him, but he is 64. How much longer is he going to want to coach? If a change is made, they'll want a younger coach.

From @BestVirginia1:

Q: Neal’s buyout tonight vs. end of the season? I’m good either way, as long as he’s gone by bowl season

A: Right now, it's roughly around $10.1 million, I believe. Immediately after the final game would be around $9.7 million. Not a huge difference, but it does shave off a couple hundred thousand. I'll have to get confirmation on those numbers, so don't hold me to it, but I believe that's where it stands.

From @PrestonPuckett:

Q: What is the financial status of our NIL program? We are a small state with limited big-money donors. How many times can we go back to them to lure big-time players before that well runs dry?

A: The one thing I've learned with big-money donors is that they'll always be there to support the program if needed. Very rarely do you see he/she run out of money to give or the willingness to. But your point is valid, though.

West Virginia isn't rolling in dough and it's going to be critical that Country Roads Trust continues to grow. Other schools around the country are starting to get their collectives in a good place, which obviously puts WVU at a disadvantage. If a salary cap of sorts ever becomes a thing, well then none of it really matters as long as you have the maximum amount of dollars to spend.

From @damwhiteIdid:

Q: Is it true that each day Neal Brown remains our head coach, our program’s future success continues to move backwards? Like, not even paused, actually in reverse.

A: Well, I'll leave that up for you to judge. But I will say this, the man is 3-17 vs. top 25 opponents. He's one game above .500 five and a half years into the gig, and he's responsible for three of the program's six losing seasons since 1996. He's not going to magically turn into Knute Rockne in 2025.

From @nothingman2021:

Q: Where do we go from here? Is it possible Wren doesn’t fire Neal? Who are the Top 5 coaching targets (for real)?

A: Yes, it is very possible that Baker doesn't make a change. He's going to let the remainder of this season play out and if there are encouraging signs down the stretch be it winning games or Nicco Marchiol looking amazing, Brown likely stays.

Even if that doesn't happen, there's still a change no change is made. You want to be an attractive place to future coaches and firing a guy several months after handing him an extension isn't a great look, even if it's warranted. Not saying they should keep Brown, just stating why they may not.

As far as candidates are concerned, I'm not really into getting into hypotheticals like some folks are because right now, I'd just be throwing crap on the wall and hoping something sticks. Some people like to do that. I'm not one. However, if a change does happen, I will personally share my candidates/things I hear with you before posting about it. How does that sound?

From @DLS635:

Q: What are the chances of Nicco, Donaldson, and others staying another year?

A: If no coaching change is made, they each stay. If one is made, well, who the heck knows? Haha. Donaldson will be entering his last year and may want to ensure he ends his collegiate career on a contending team and having a first-year head coach usually, not always, but usually signals rebuild.

Considering most coaches run some variation of a spread offense, Marchiol would more than likely stay put, but again, you never know. I'd have to know the coaching situation to give you a more accurate answer.

From @MaestroEer:

Q: How does NB define fun?

A: According to the people, tailgating and good weather. Or maybe it's tailgating with good weather? I don't know, to be honest.

From @Viking_7532:

Q: On the 4th down play to end the first half why did the play come into Greene with only 10 seconds on the play clock? When did Brown know he was going for it?

A: You sir, just won the question of the week! THANK YOU! I feel like I've been the only one to have noticed this. I don't have the answer for you, but I questioned it as well. Getting the call in so late really put WVU in a bind. They weren't able to see the defensive alignment, make checks, or attempt to draw K-State offside and get a free first down. For that to happen out of a timeout is atrociously bad.

From @SdotFLOSS:

Q: If not now, when?

A: It won't happen now, but if it happens, it will be at the end of the season. Some may point to the bye week as an opportunity to do it, but that's very unlikely, especially if they beat Arizona which could very well happen.

From @LindaKish4:

Q: Does Wren Baker consider himself a legitimate D1 Power 4 AD? Does he think a D1 Power 4 AD should retain his job if he can’t problem solve and move on from a coach who has made more than $17 million over 6 years without an AP ranking or a win over a final ranked team?

A: What I would say is give it time. He's not done anything wrong to this point. You can argue about the contract extension, but in doing so he was able to adjust the percentage of the buyout, acting as a bit of a trade-off.

After winning nine games last season, he or any other AD wouldn't fire the coach right now. I understand it feels inevitable to the fanbase but there is monetary value in being patient with that move and doing it later on.

From @j_tennant:

Q: We know what we are. Just not a good team and not getting any better. Any reason why they can’t develop a QB? It just seems like none of them are ever any better than when they arrive here. It’s not just Greene.

A: You're absolutely right, it's not just Greene. Jarret Doege took steps backward and you could make the case that JT Daniels looked worse here at WVU than he did at his previous stops at USC and Georgia. I do believe part of it is not having consistent messaging from the quarterback coach.

If you remember, Sean Reagan was in charge of the room for a while and then they handed it over to Graham Harrell, moved Reagan back to quarterbacks, and then promoted Tyler Allen this past offseason. That's a lot of change, at least in terms of Garrett.

From @wardwvu1:

Q: Is this rock bottom?

A: Oh no. Don't get me wrong, this is bad, and I mean REAL bad. But rock bottom is what Kansas went through for seemingly a decade or more.

From @SmedleyBradley:

Q: Why are our WRs always covered like glue... And our D drops 8 in coverage and we don't have anybody within 5 yrs of their WRs? Always contested vs. never contested???

A: It's a young group that needs to continue to get stronger. They've made strides catching the ball, but they're not getting open consistently enough. I pointed this out in the postgame show on Saturday. I'm a little lenient with that group because they're still developing. However, I have no idea why Justin Robinson isn't featured more.

As for the defensive part of your question, WVU is primarily a zone coverage team and although it's worked with some guys in the past, I don't believe they have the personnel to run what they normally do. It's a tough world to live in when that's the case.

From @EddieYdaEerfan:

Q: This was supposed to be Neal’s best team. What happened? Why do we find ways to lose?

A: You're exactly right. Coming off a nine-win season with all of that offensive talent returning, expectations were through the roof. I'd still say if you hold on to beat Pitt, this doesn't look nearly as bad. But you still can't get your butt handed to you at home under the lights in consecutive weeks.

From @skinnerlando:

Q: Does Wren Baker and WVU actually have the money to make a change?

A: My opinion on this is if they want to make a change, they'll have the money. I understand the university has some financial issues, but they'll do whatever is best for the program. I truly believe that.

From @jeffreyaweber:

Q: Have Trotter, Jaheim, and CJ hit the portal yet?

A: No, and they won't. I know this is a half-serious question, but if a coaching change is made there could be some movement. Who exactly? That's anyone's guess.

From @MntnrMark:

Q: When? How much longer must this misery last?

A: At least through November 30th - aka the last game of the regular season. There won't be a coaching change made mid-season. It hasn't happened here and won't start now.

From @harriman21159:

Q: Garrett’s analytics were considered to be top tier in college football last year. What has happened to him this year to cause such a regression? Is it that the WRs aren’t getting separation, is it a more pocket-passing offense scheme, is GG trying to do too much? He’s not himself.

A: The offense hasn't changed, but it's a mixture of everything. Receivers aren't getting open consistently enough, he's forcing throws, and still has inconsistent mechanics. It's unfortunate, but at this point, Garrett just is what he is. He's never going to be that 60% or better passer. Part of that is on the coaching staff.

From @TeddyBallGame14:

Q: Brown is melting down in front of our eyes. His body language shows Brown knows more than anyone else that this is not working. When he and Wren mutually agee to part ways, who does Baker get to restore the program and how long before that guy is able to make a difference?

A: As I mentioned in a previous question, I'm not in the business of looking into candidates until a move is made. It's a waste of time, honestly. But if you get the right guy, it doesn't take long. Think of Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State in year one, Curt Cignetti at Indiana in year one, and Scott Satterfield at Cincinnati in year two.

From @dubv01:

Q: I have several but I’ll start with this. Why can’t our WRs get open? Every team that we play has ZERO problem getting their guys open. I can’t believe that there’s this much disparity in athletic talent.

A: Question one: Strength. Most of those guys are still developing. Not all, of course, but most. Question two: Zone coverage a is a you know what when you have guys who aren't used to playing this much zone playing zone.

From @Doctor_redwood:

Q: Did you have fun?

A: No, doctor, I did not. Writing and covering this team is much more enjoyable when there is success on the field.

From @wveers4life:

Q: How much would each of the 1.8 West Virginians have to contribute to cover Neal Browns buyout?

A: Oh no, don't get me math-ing this early (4:30 a.m.) on a Monday morning. Let's just say the buyout is currently a hair north of $10 million. I'll leave that one to you to calculate and assign a dollar amount to each WVian.

From @Pat08WV:

Q: Why do we ever roll our left handed qb to the right?

A: Good question. With Garrett as your starter, your plays are designed to get him going in that direction. Obviously it's not ideal and it's not as easy as just flipping the play if you didn't have much time to rep it during the week. If Marchiol starts this week at Arizona, I don't think you'll see it as much.

From @Mountaineers80:

Q: Why do we do this to ourselves every week? Some say we aren’t fans because we want change. But we keep watching. So am I a fan or not?! So confused. Also, didn’t have fun at all.

A: If you want change because there is no success, you're the true definition of a fan. Don't let those folks get to your head. The most passionate fans are eager to have success and when it doesn't happen in six years, a shout for change is warranted.

From @DavidAlons75194:

Q: If an opposing team committed to running the ball zero times vs WVUs defense, do you think they could hang 60 pts on us??

A: Ooh. Good question. I get where this is coming from, but no, they wouldn't. Dropping into coverage that many times is going to result in a lot of opportunities to read the quarterback and understand where he's trying to go with the ball.

That's why even the most Air Raid of offenses still run it 12-15 times. You have to open up passing windows by running it. I know this is a half-serious question, but you get my point.

From @WVUManiac87:

Q: How much longer must we have fun?!?

A: Well, there are only five more games left of the regular season. No one is promised beyond that.

From @MKINCAID423:

Q: How fast can Neal leave town?

A: As mentioned in a few earlier questions, the soonest will be at the end of the season. I truly don't see anything happening until then, and that's not guaranteeing a move will be made.

From @TomTheLoud:

Q: Why does a man destroying the program brick by brick get to keep his job? It'd be cheaper in the long run to cut ties now. This is currently the most important window for success with all the realignment winds and Wren is fine with sucking?

A: I don't think he's "fine with sucking." It's just a matter of being calculated in a decision of this magnitude. You have to do it at the right time and have the backing of the administration. I know everyone points to him, but ultimately, it's on a lot of people.

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