Neal Brown is leaving Troy for West Virginia.
“Troy coach Neal Brown is expected to be the next coach at West Virginia, sources with knowledge of the situation told Yahoo Sports,” Pete Thamel reported on Friday morning.
Brown went 35-16 in four seasons with the Trojans. He has three straight seasons with at least 10 wins, has lost four total Sun Belt games the last three years, and has Power Five experience, including three seasons at Texas Tech offensive coordinator (2010-12).
With Brown out, who might Troy hire?
In-house options: Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Vic Koenning or offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Moore.
Moore previously coached with Brown in Lubbock, so he may follow Brown to Morgantown. Koenning, 58, is in his second stint at Troy (defensive coordinator, 2003-04), and has already been a Power Five coordinator (Clemson, Kansas State and Illinois). He did, however, flop in his first stint as an FBS head coach; he won five games in three seasons at Wyoming (2000-02).
If they want another Power Five assistant with southeastern ties, five offensive coordinators to watch: Kendal Briles (Florida State), Rob Likens (Arizona State), Dan Enos (Alabama), James Coley (Georgia) and Chip Long (Notre Dame). Long, 35, is an Alabama native who’s spent some time recruiting in the region.
Jacksonville State‘s John Grass might make a short list. Grass, 50, has zero Power Five experience and was coaching high school football six years ago, but he’s won 52 games in five seasons as Gamecocks’ head coach. Also, Kennesaw State‘s Brian Bohannon, the 48-year-old former Georgia Tech assistant who’s done a brilliant job building the Owls’ program. That would, however, presumably, require a shift to the triple option.
A wild card: Larry Fedora. He won at nearby Southern Miss and had some recruiting success in the area.
