Neal Brown: 'I Knew This Wasn't Going to be a Quick Turn'
Here we are at the midway point of the 2021 season, the third year of the Neal Brown era, and the Mountaineers have a record of 2-4 (0-3). Things have not gone West Virginia's way the last three-four weeks but that hasn't stopped Brown from believing this program is still headed in the right direction.
The one reason why Brown still believes in the future of the program despite having a 2-4 record in his third year is that he knew it was going to take some time. When Dana Holgorsen and the previous coaching regime left, the 2019 recruiting class had a bunch of holes. Offensively, they did not secure a commitment from a quarterback and brought in only one receiver (Ali Jennings) and one running back (Tony Mathis). On top of that, WVU lost QB Will Grier, WR David Sills, WR Gary Jennings, TE Trevon Wesco, and LT Yodny Cajuse to the NFL following the 2018 season, and WR Marcus Simms left the team in the spring. Not to mention, seven members of the 2019 recruiting class have transferred out, leaving just 12 from that class. When you have that much turnover, it's not going to be an overnight fix.
"I knew this wasn't going to be a quick turn," Brown said. "Now, did I think we'd be able to win some games in the fourth quarter this year? Yeah. Did I think we'd be 2-4 right now? No. Did I think we were going to be 6-0? Probably not. I did feel like we would play better and be able to close out some of these games in the fourth quarter that we simply have not. But I knew this was going to be a process and I knew that early on. We made some turns last year. So, did I think we'd be sitting here with a better record than 2-4? Absolutely. Did I think that we were going to arrive in year three and be at the top of the league? No. Now, do I believe with all my heart that we will get there? Absolutely. I do."
As far as the results go, Brown and this staff haven't got the job done. I understand that the depth might not be where they would like or even the overall talent level. But the growing concern lies within the staff and the inability to make adjustments. Particularly 2nd half scoring, 1st & 4th quarter defense, poor run blocking, and lack of turnovers created by the defense. Each week you see the same mistakes, the same glaring issues, yet nothing changes. That is where the coaching staff has to prove they are the right ones for this program. It takes more than building depth and acquiring talent. It's also about how you use that depth and talent when it does arrive. From what we've seen thus far, I'm not sure that depth and talent are all that is needed to get this thing turned around. Neal Brown is going to have to make some very difficult decisions in regards to his staff. Something needs to change.
Moving forward, WVU's plan is to continue to build the program through the high school ranks but to still mix in a few transfers here and there. As we sit, the Mountaineers have 17 players committed in the 2022 recruiting class and it is thought to be one of the best classes in program history. According to Brown, WVU still has 15 spots available to get to the full allotment of scholarships.
"We will have 32 [scholarships] available. I mean, you all know, we're down scholarships. It is probably going to allow us to take another d-lineman than we thought high school-wise. It's going to allow us to take probably another high school and a transfer DB, another body at linebacker, probably two more wideouts. We're going to have to fill some holes with some transfers but when you're dealing in the transfer world. You're going to have some hits and you're going to have some misses. With high school guys, you can get them in your program and you can develop them. Just because we're struggling, we're not going to go this wholesale transfers in large numbers. I just don't believe that's the right way to get to where we want to get to. Are we going to have to add some pieces in the secondary and at linebacker from the transfer portal? Yes because we have holes there that definitely need to be filled. Are we going to be aggressive in the transfer portal on offensive linemen? Yes."
When Neal Brown entered the press conference room last Tuesday, he had a glass half full approach. He even broke the silence with the media by jokingly saying, "We're not at a funeral, we just lost a couple of football games." There's a lot of football left to be played and these remaining six games will provide this coaching staff with a lot of answers. Who can push through adversity? Who can help them moving forward? And heck, maybe get an answer at the quarterback position.
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