MAILBAG: Neal Brown's Future, Next Hoops Coach, Biggest 'What If' + More

Thanks for checking out this week's mailbag. Also, a special thanks to those who submitted questions. If you want to participate in next week's batch of questions, shoot me a DM on Twitter @Callihan_.

From @DrewBraxton:

Q: Which wide receiver could be a sleeper and step up into a consistent role this year?

A: Noah Massey. Doesn't get a lot of attention due to playing at D-II Angelo State prior to transferring to WVU but he can play. Big frame (6'4", 230 lbs), good catch radius, and gives the QB an obvious jump ball/red zone target.

From @ScottEl13805771:

Q: Who is going to have more receptions this year Cortez Braham or Jeremiah Aaron? I think they both take strides this year.

A: I agree, they both takes strides mainly because they have to. I'll go with Braham mainly because I think he has some of the best hands in the WR room. Aaron will have a similar role to what Winston Wright Jr. had a few years back.

From @NickYore:

Q: Where does this basketball roster & coach implosion rank in biggest what if’s in WVU history? Especially given where some of our bench players have landed…

A: Oh, it's up there. Can't quite say it's a top two or three but certainly toward the top five. Major getting hurt in the national title, beating Pitt in '07, Da'Sean Butler going down in Final Four, are ahead of this situation because they were on the doorstep. The potential for this team was there but they hadn't done anything yet. Still a BIG what if though.

From @timmyoff27:

Q: What’s the order of upcoming events for the football program? Like when does camp start? When is the next NB presser?

A: The official schedule hasn't been released yet, but camp typically begins on the first Monday of August. So if that remains true, we're looking at August 7th. Neal will speak at Big 12 media days in Dallas on July 13th.

From @eer2eternity:

Q: Why couldn’t WVU use the money they are saving from Huggs contract and offer the players that $?

A: That is university money and they are not permitted to spend that on the student-athletes.

From @justin_weikle:

Q: Realistically, are we going to be as bad as their saying?

A: It's certainly possible. I don't think they'll finish dead-last in the conference but finishing in the top 10 of the league, in my opinion, is a stretch. Too many question marks for this team and too much inexperience at several key spots.

From @wi_thompson:

Q: NB hasn’t had a mobile QB since he has been here. Can GG make the plays in close games at crucial times with his legs/arm or are we for another mistake filled O at crucial times. NB teams have been awful to date in this category.

A: It will be a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde with Greene. He's going to make plays that the ordinary quarterback can't make but then he'll have his boneheaded moments as well. That's not a knock on him whatsoever. That's just the style in which he plays (a gambler) coupled with the fact that he's still learning the position.

From @fauxcaridi:

Q: Who will be the next permanent head basketball coach? (And why is the answer Bob Huggins?) More likely to be employed by WVU in June 2024: Gee or Huggins?

A: Haha. Although it would make for a hell of a story, I don't see Huggins returning. Wren Baker can't risk bringing him back and something goes wrong again. Even if Baker is interested in re-hiring Huggins, I don't see Gee signing off on it. If Josh Eilert puts together a decent year, he's going to have a case.

From @WVUdrunkmtneer:

Q: Could you see WVU making an in-season firing like Nebraska last year if football gets off to a bad start? Probably more realistic to see Brown get to finish the year regardless, but being the first ones on the hunt for a new coach, if necessary, might be beneficial.

A: Regardless of AD and administration, I can't remember the last time WVU fired a head football coach mid-season. If a move is to be made, it would more likely come shortly after the regular season finale. Baker already has a rolodex of names, as he does for every sport. So waiting 'til the end of the season shouldn't put WVU too far behind the 8-ball. That being said, if they begin 1-5 or 1-6, well, yeah it could happen.

From @Jcamp336:

Q: Are the WVU Mountaineers less of a Mountaineer than the App State Mountaineers?

A: I mean, a Mountaineer is a Mountaineer, right?

From @Jeremia62776484:

Q: How many wins will it take for Neal Brown to save his job this season?

A: There's no hard number. Baker stated that a few times already. But I fail to see a scenario in which Brown is still employed with yet another losing season. 6-6 won't mark him "safe" but it also depends on how they arrived to that end of season record. Did they completely collapse? Did they rally to win four of five? That makes a difference.

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