WVU OC Graham Harrell has a 'Different Energy' About Him

WVU head coach Neal Brown notes offensive coordinator Grant Harrell's intangibles during Big 12 Media Days

The West Virginia football program has lacked offensive firepower since the arrival of head coach Neal Brown in 2019 and the unit has been a mainstay in the lower half of nearly every offensive category in the Big 12 Conference, while the defense has been the complete opposite. 

Oct 30, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown walks into the stadium with his kids prior to their game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Brown, recognizing the offensive shortcomings he himself administered, stepped back from the offense, and now plays more of a CEO role after hiring Graham Harrell in January. Harrell and projected starting quarterback JT Daniels have a previous relationship from their time at USC a few years back. However, the two parted ways following the 2019 season after Daniels suffered an injury in the opener against Fresno State while freshman Kedon Slovis threw for 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games. The two signal callers will meet on the field September 1 in the season opener. 

Harrell comes from the Air Raid tree, stemming from his time with legendary college football head coach Mike Leach while Harrell was the quarterback at Texas Tech (2005-08). The two linked up again at Washington State in Harrell's transition to coaching for two seasons (2014-15) as an offensive analyst then receivers coach installed his version of the offense during the spring practice period.

"From a schematic standpoint, everything that we were going to do, we installed in spring ball. We've been repping them all summer, and we'll use the fall camp practice schedule to refine those even more," said Brown. 

"Schematically, we don't anticipate being a whole lot different," added Brown. "Where we're going to be different is in our preparation, in our practice habits, and in our ability to probably be more prepared going into each and every game."

Harrell still holds the record for career passing yards (15,793) and touchdowns (134) at Texas Tech, and his time in the NFL, along with his success as a coordinator has gained the respect of the team according to Brown. 

Jan 02, 2009; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell (6) throws a pass against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2009 Cotton Bowl Classic at the Cotton Bowl / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Following one season as offensive coordinator at North Texas, Harrell produced back-to-back top-25 offenses after inheriting an offense that ranked in the nation's bottom 25 in scoring, passing, and total offense. 

In year one at USC, the 2019 Trojans set the school record for total passing yards (4,365), completion percentage (71.0%), completions (365) and attempts (514) and Slovis earned Freshman All-American. 

Harrell's resume speaks for itself but to Brown, it's the intangibles Harrell has brought to Morgantown that are making a difference. 

"He's brought a different energy about him," said Brown. "He's confident without being arrogant. He's extremely humble. It helps that he was a great player in this league, and I think that gets the players' attention on your current roster but also in recruiting. He's had great success at not only USC but at North Texas, as well. He's been able to have success with different types of players and different types of offenses. I'm excited about what he can bring. He's been a great staff member. I think we're going to see the benefits."

West Virginia offensive coordinator Graham Harrell giving instructions to his quarterbacks during spring practice / Christopher Hall - Sports Illustrated: FanNation - Mountaineers Now

Brown has been the play caller during his time in Morgantown, although former co-offensive coordinator Gerad Parker had his hand in it as well at times in different scenarios, but the offense is all Harrell's now. 

"The biggest thing for me is, he's got a great feel on game day. So that's something that I think is going to be a huge positive, and it'll be not only for our players but for me, great feel on game day, so I'm looking forward to it."

West Virginia opens the season with the renewal of the Backyard Brawl on September 1 against the Pitt Panthers with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 pm EST.

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