By: Mike Huesmann
The Neal Brown era is over in Morgantown. He was on the hottest of seats in 2023, did well, but that kind of safety is fleeting and doesn’t last. His press conference gaffes this year stuck a fork in him; it was over after that. The Mountaineers are 6-6 and will go to a bowl game with an interim coach. This is an interesting job in a place with history. They likely will have known names in the running for this job. Here are some options.
https://twitter.com/voicemorgantown/status/1863589378431300027
Jimbo Fisher
Former Texas A&M and Florida State Head Coach
Fisher’s reputation took a hit in the end at A&M, which is fair considering the money he made. That being said he is an elite recruiter, a solid coach, and would be one of only three active coaches to have won a national title, with Smart and Swinney being the others. He is a West Virginia native and has spoken of his fondness for the state before. His buyout from A&M means he may not require a ridiculously high salary, either. He has done too many good things in the past to be passed over if he’s interested. He at least gets a call here (and that may have already happened).
https://twitter.com/mountaineerguy8/status/1863409797703377331
Barry Odom
UNLV, Head Coach
Odom is thriving at UNLV. He also has a past connection to WVU AD Wren Baker from his time at Missouri. He was okay at Mizzou, there were a lot of things outside his control that hurt his time there. He then did a solid job as Arkansas defensive coordinator before going to Vegas last year. What he did in year one for UNLV was nothing short of amazing. They went 9-5, their first winning season since 2000. This place was a wasteland before Odom showed up. He quickly showed that he knows what he’s doing. The Rebels, despite losing their QB after week three, are playing for the MWC title and a potential playoff berth.
https://twitter.com/zach_barnett/status/1863599613480968336
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Rich Rodriguez
Jacksonville State, Head Coach
Would Rodriguez and West Virginia want to rekindle a relationship that was the most successful for both in recent memory? Does Rich Rod want to be a P4 head coach again? If he does, this might be it. He led Jacksonville State from FCS to FBS with a very impressive 9-4 record in year one in Conference USA. They’re currently 8-4, and have a matchup with Western Kentucky next weekend in the C-USA title game. I wrote weeks ago: if they get 8-9 wins, we might hear Rodriguez mentioned for a Power 4 job. This makes sense for both parties if the feelings are still good.
WVSN (@MikeAsti11 and @CodyNespor) Reacts to Neal Brown Firing, Breaks Down Possible Candidates
📺 + 🎙️ https://t.co/UobeJCpRd9 pic.twitter.com/b7PhaXXNII
— West Virginia Sports Now (@WVSportsNow) December 2, 2024
Andy Kotelnicki
Penn State, Offensive Coordinator
Kansas was among the worst P4 teams in the country before Lance Leipold showed up and made Kotelnicki his OC. The resurgence they experienced is remarkable and a blue blood swooping in for the coordinators was expected in these cases. Kotelnicki got a substantial raise to go to Penn State and the Jayhawk offense hasn’t been the same since he left. James Franklin, who seemed to ruin offensive coordinators on the regular, may have struck gold with this guy. He finally has Drew Allar looking like the recruit we heard he was. Kotelnicki will likely be able to skip the G5 and get his first head job at a P4 school.
https://twitter.com/MikeAsti11/status/1863350571069042773
Glenn Schumann
Georgia, Defensive Coordinator
Another coach from the Saban/Smart tree. He was a student assistant and graduate assistant for the Tide before going to Georgia with Kirby Smart. Schumann has won six national titles as an assistant, four with the Tide and the last two with Georgia. Schumann has continually climbed the ladder and looks to get the chance to be a head coach sometime soon. He has been mentioned as an option for a few other jobs. Like Kotelnicki, he will be able to skip the G5 and take a P4 head job. He is a coach who is in a great place now and can be selective about the job he takes.
