West Virginia’s game against Oklahoma on Saturday may be more important than it initially appeared. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown and athletic director Shane Lyons could both be in trouble if the season continues to spiral.
“Neal Brown’s job at West Virginia is squarely in flux,” Thamel said on College Gameday on Saturday morning, via Mountaineers Now. “Sources tell me that no decision has been made yet on Brown’s future. But at 20–24 in his fourth season and at 3–6 now, a loss to Oklahoma today would mean Brown would have three losing seasons in four years.”
Brown signed an extension following the 2021 season that ties him to West Virginia through the 2026 season. If the program fires Brown before January 1st, it would owe him $20 million according to Mountaineers Now, while firing him after that date would drop the number to $16.7 million. If Brown is fired before the end of 2024, West Virginia would owe him his entire remaining salary, with the number dropping to 85% after that date.
In four years at West Virginia, Brown has failed to win more than six games in a season.
Per Thamel, Brown’s future may also decide whether or not Lyons stays on.
“Sources have told me that if Brown is gone, Lyons may not be around to hire his successor,” Thamel said.
Lyons has been the AD at West Virginia since 2015, and hired Brown to lead the football team in 2019.
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For more West Virginia coverage, go to Mountaineers Now.
