Mountaineers Now

BREAKING: WVU Fires Defensive Coordinator Jordan Lesley

The Mountaineers are making a coaching change.

Schuyler Callihan

West Virginia University defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley.
West Virginia University defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI
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Tuesday morning, West Virginia head football coach Neal Brown made the decision to part ways with defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. Special teams coordinator/ inside linebackers coach Jeff Koonz will take over as the interim DC.

Lesley's unit currently ranks 113th nationally out of 133 FBS schools in passing yards allowed per game (261.1) and 84th nationally in total defense (382.5).

The Mountaineers have struggled to find answers against the pass all season long and this past Saturday, that was put on full display as Arizona star Tetairoa McMillan went for over 200 yards receiving. McMillan putting up big numbers comes as no surprise, but there were two plays that should have never happened, both of which involved Lesley calling a Tampa 2 coverage, meaning linebacker Trey Lathan covered the deep middle of the field. Both plays resulted in huge gains by McMillan, one of which was a touchdown.

“Not good defense," Neal Brown said of those two plays. "Maybe once you get stuck. What we’re doing is playing a Tampa 2 where he’s running the middle. On the first one, if we get to the quarterback, it’s a non-issue. He actually played it pretty well but the scramble, he got out-athleted. One of those, okay, but we should have never put him in that position again. That’s not Trey’s fault.”

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Publisher of Mountaineers Now on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. Lead recruiting expert and co-host of Between the Eers, Walk Thru GameDay Show, Mountaineers Now Postgame Show, and In the Gun Podcast.

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