MAILBAG: Hot Seat Check, Lesley's Job Security, Revised Record Prediction + More

Answering this week's questions from the fans.

Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Following West Virginia's 38-34 loss to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl on Saturday, several Mountaineer fans hit up our weekly mailbag asking questions about the staff and the current state of the program. Let's just get into it.

From @fauxcaridi:

Q: After hearing how our secondary is gonna be better on top of his other lies over the years (anyone else remember when Doege was our “most improved player”?), if Neal Brown told you the sky was blue, would you look out the nearest window to be sure?

A: I'd take a peek. It's not because I don't believe everything he says necessarily, but the results haven't always been there for certain players he's spoken on. The Doege reference is a good one, and there have been several others too.

From @Mountiealum97:

Q: This isn’t working with Brown. Standard Brown playing to lose at end of game. What’s the next step because year six same day same story?

A: I agree 100%. You have Garrett Greene as your quarterback, a guy he touted as a top-100 player in college football and didn't put the game in his hands in the fourth quarter. Everyone in the stadium knew they would run the ball. You had to switch it up and throw in a pass to get the first down and put the game on ice. Completely mishandled.

From @wvufan2023:

Q: What do you think it’ll take for Wren to fire Neal and possibly a few other coaches?

A: I seriously doubt Wren will step in and force Neal to fire any coordinators or assistants unless there is an off-the-field issue which to my knowledge there isn't. That will always be up to the head coach. As bad as it was, Neal is going to lose his job three games in.

From @Bo_Dirt_WV:

Q: So the next step for Brown is to fire Lesley? It would have to be, right?

A: It's an option, yes. Will it happen? Unlikely. If he fires him mid-season, who do they turn to? They don't have anyone on that side of the ball with play-calling experience outside of ShaDon Brown who called two series against UAlbany. If a change is made, it's more likely to happen in the offseason, assuming Brown is still here.

From @DLS635:

Q: What is the revised outlook for this season's record? We have to win all remaining games to be relevant, but what is realistic?

A: Great question. I'll do an updated game-by-game prediction article probably tomorrow. Let's just say this, bowl eligibility is going to be in question. Realistically, you can get to eight but that feels like the ceiling with everything going right.

From @EERSBeers:

Q; Let’s make the assumption Brown is gone by the end of the season. Who are your top 3 calls you’re making?

A: If he is removed, I'm calling Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki first. Lance Leipold is a good coach, but he's clearly the main reason why they were so successful over the last few years. He leaves and all of a sudden KU's offense is hot trash. Jamey Chadwell (Liberty) would be my number two and my third would be Jason Candle (Toledo).

From @TeddyBallGame14:

Q: Which was worse in final five minutes, defensive play calling or predictable and ineffective offensive play calls? And seriously, after watching Holstein run wild in that next-to-last drive, why didn’t Lesley make ANY adjustment to stop that in the final drive?

A: The latter. We all knew the defense wasn't going to do anything. The offense was going to have to finish this game with the ball in their hands and they failed to do so. They need to attach an RPO to one of those plays or just a straight-up pass. You had to move the sticks. Had to. As for Lesley, I have no idea. Why they didn't put a spy on him is beyond me.

From @RonaldNatale:

Q: Will they fire anyone?

A: No. Not right now at least. Even as bad as things have been thus far, they still technically have everything in front of them. It may feel impossible to win the Big 12 or even come close to it at this point, but you let it play out.

From @JSchar87:

Q: Why will Neal Brown still be the head coach next year when we can all see it isn’t working?

A: Well, let's not make any assumptions. If this continues, there's no way in God's green Earth he'll be back. If he gets it semi-turned around, he will.

From @z_mccoy06:

Q: Short list of coaching candidates for WVU to target.

A: As I mentioned in one of the questions above, I like Andy Kotelnicki (Penn State OC), Jamey Chadwell (Liberty HC), and Jason Candle (Toledo HC). Some others I think are worth considering but are probably not seasoned enough are Alex Golesh (USF HC) and Jon Sumrall (Tulane HC).

From @DeeFanning2:

Q: What's Neal Brown's buyout??

A: He will be owed 75% of his remaining salary if fired at any point under the revised contract. If he leaves for another job his buyout to the school drops from 25% of his remaining salary in 2024 and 12.5% of his remaining salary in 2025 to 10%.

From @MtneerFever:

Q: How much do we need to contribute to the GoFundMe to pay for the buyout?

A: That's a question that I simply don't have the answer to. Only the big donors would know that one haha.

From @gooseenjoyer:

Q: How long is the leash for Neal Brown and Jordan Lesley? I feel like Lesley is a realistic candidate to get sacked before the season is over.

A: Is it realistic? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not. As for Neal, it's through the end of the year as well (or close to it). It's a disappointing start, but you have to let it ride. You don't want to make an emotional decision even if you believe in your gut it's the right one. Let it simmer while you see how this team bounces back (or doesn't).

From @AdamHwvu:

Q: Will Baker wait for the last game?

A: Maybe. It just depends on how the rest of the season goes. If he does make a move, it won't be until around that time or possibly immediately after the regular season finale against Texas Tech.

From @OGWhiteMike304:

Q: I’ll ask the same question as I did last time. Can we fire Neal Brown and please hire Jimbo Fisher? He’s honestly waiting for the call.

A: Jimbo is a wealthy man, so it probably wouldn't take some big, lucrative deal to hire him. That being said, he's not going to come cheap either. Does he even fit here? I'm not entirely sure. I get he's from West Virginia, but that doesn't mean he's the right man for the job.

From @PrestonPuckett:

Q: What's the NIL payout money to the defensive players? Is it public knowledge?

A: As far as I know, all of that is not public record. I'll look into it deeper, but I'm almost 100% positive that doesn't get tracked.

From @TeddyBallGame14:

Q: After all the offseason hype about Jaden Bray, why don’t they throw to him? A ton of offseason talk about Rodney Gallagher, and he now appears on the back of a milk carton? After early success throwing to Kole Taylor, did they even look at him in the second half?

A: These are all valid points. Bray is the one I'm most surprised with. He made plays during all of fall camp and had the look of a WR1. Gallagher has been playing so much on both sides that it's probably taking some time to figure out the sweet spot for him offensively. And for Taylor, yeah, I don't know why or how you go away from him, especially on the final drive when they could have thrown it his way to deliver the knockout punch and not give Pitt the ball back.

From @perkinswt90:

Q: When will Neal Brown finally learn he isn’t a good coach and step down?

A: I know this is a half serious question, but he will not resign as he has nothing to gain from it.

From @Shadow19912003:

Q: What was the play call(s) on that last 4 plays? Seemed like there weren't any checkdowns, sideline attempts, or anything.

A: I know. I agree. I said in our postgame show that they should have thrown it more underneath to start the drive. Pitt was just trying to keep the play in front of them. Why they chucked it 40 yards downfield every time is beyond me.

From @goJohnnyA:

Q: There is a philosophical issue. They gave up 152 yards on 11 plays on those last 2 drives. That’s 40% of Pitt's total offense for the game. There wasn’t a soul in the middle of the field on the last drive. Why??? Why play to punt up 3 with 3:30 left???

A: Too much confusion going on. If you go back and watch the tape, you'll see several occasions where guys in the second and third levels are communicating as the ball is being snapped. That stuff has to happen sooner. Missed assignments make it look even worse. And I totally agree. Why run the ball three straight times at the end? Throw the ball and win the game.

From @MrEd315:

Q: How ugly is it gonna get now in Morgantown?

A: It could get very ugly if I'm being honest. If they lose to Kansas and fall to 1-3, you may start to see a bunch of guys sit out and use this season as a redshirt with this being the four-game mark. Things could spiral out of control quickly.

From @j_tennant:

Q: Do you think Wren or Gee will see or hear any of the fans this week? 99% or better are calling for heads to roll. I’ve seen more people saying they are not buying or donating a cent until there is change than ever before.

A: Oh, yes. Without a doubt. They see and hear everything, trust me. Now, that doesn't mean they will lean into the opinion of the fanbase on everything, but they do keep a pulse on the fanbase for sure.

From @Jeffro0911:

Q: Will Brown be gone before 10/1?

A: No. Could his seat warm by then? Absolutely.

From @drewgoldNblue85:

Q: I’ve seen a lot of people calling for us to hire Jimbo Fisher. Am I missing something here? Seriously, what has he done since leaving FSU and getting fired from A&M? How about a guy like Dan Mullen? Former P4 coach and got fired for no reason? Explain?

A: Yeah, I'm with you on this. Am I completely against Jimbo? No, not really, but I also don't view him as the savior of the program. Mullen would be interesting, but others will likely come calling and I don't see WVU paying him what others will.

From @wi_thompson:

Q; Do you think a change at defensive leadership is needed or is Brown just going to be ok with below avg D and horrible secondary play?

A: A change of some sort is needed, certainly. Is it scheme? Coordinator? Position coaches? Personnel? Or a mixture of all the above? That's the million-dollar question. Neal isn't fired up about the defense either, but they're going to tweak things personnel and scheme-wise before they make a coordinator change.

From @dog_trainerSam:

Q: Is the cost of firing Neal worse than the damage he’s done to the program?

A: All I will say is if Wren Baker doesn't believe Neal Brown is the right head coach for this program, he needs to make a move at the end of the year. You can't worry about the buyout although it's something that is indeed a factor. The revised contract, however, does allow WVU to make for a cleaner, cheaper break if needed.

From @kwe_shark:

Q: Is the sky falling yet?

A: Oh, it's more than falling. It's complete panic right now and I'm not totally confident that this team can completely recover from a loss like last weekend's.

From @gooseenjoyer:

Q: All of our transfer players in the secondary have disappointed after good performances at their old school. Is that them not executing or is that just poor coaching from Neal Brown and Jordan Lesley?

A: They've played good football before, so that should tell you it's one of two things. It's either a coaching thing or, OR it's a scheme fit issue. In this case, it could be a mix of both.

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