Asti: WVU’s Decision to Promote Tyler Allen to QB Coach Makes Tons of Sense

The name Tyler Allen may not be as flashy as others out on the open market, but WVU’s decision to promote him makes sense. West Virginia officially announced the news that everyone already knew on Wednesday. Allen is stepping up to become quarterbacks coach to replace Sean Reagan.

Once Reagan left to take over as offensive coordinator at Troy, Allen was quickly the guy head coach Neal Brown knew should be the guy. Reports instantly started to circulate that it would be Allen into Reagan’s role.

WVU Football Makes Promotion of Tyler Allen as QB Coach Official

Brown’s comments as part of WVU’s press release with the news show his excitement and confidence in Allen. It’s evident that Brown is confident Allen is ready for this opportunity.

“I’m excited that Tyler will be the quarterbacks coach for the Mountaineer football program,” Brown said. “I have had the opportunity to work with him for several years and have seen his growth and maturation as a coach on and off the field. He brings a lot of energy and knowledge to the position, having worked closely with our quarterbacks over the last two years. He already has more than proven his worth and is a great addition to our on-field coaching staff.”

WVU HC Neal Brown on Tyler Allen being promoted to QB Coach.

“I’m excited that Tyler will be the quarterbacks coach for the Mountaineer football program. I have had the opportunity to work with him for several years and have seen his growth and maturation as a coach on and off…

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) February 14, 2024

And if Brown is confident in Allen being ready, then that makes this move the right decision. Not every assistant coach is ready for more responsibility, but if Brown knows the answer to that question in his mind, then there was no reason to look outside the program.

As to be expected, there were WVU fans who voiced wanting Mountaineer legend Pat White to return to West Virginia as a coach. Obviously, hiring White would be a popular decision and he wouldn’t be an outsider, granted he would be new to Brown, the rest of his staff and this particular era. But despite White having years as a coach on his resume, both at the small college level and currently in the NFL with the Chargers, assuming a quarterbacks coach position in the Big 12 would still be a bit of a jump for White from his offensive assistant title in Los Angeles.

And aside from White, keeping the offensive staff filled with in-house coaches is best. Promoting Allen gives quarterback Garrett Greene the continuity he needs to continue building off his first season as the full-time starter. Allen has been working directly with Reagan since 2022 as an analyst and special assistant. Reagan especially trusted Allen’s input this past season. Equally as important, offensive coordinator Chad Scott is also familiar with Allen as well.

When you have a quarterback who is trying to get himself and his team to another level, changing his coaching is something that can screw up that trajectory. Losing Reagan was not ideal timing for Greene, but promoting Allen at least offers some familiarity for 2024. Brown was retained for another season after leading West Virginia to an overall 9-4 record and a bowl victory over North Carolina, but Brown also knows he’s facing pressure to continue the climb of the program and his job won’t be safe for long if the Mountaineers fall right back to where they were in 2022. The fact Brown has locked up most of WVU’s key contributors only adds more fuel to the fire too.

With fans dreaming of contending for a Big 12 title as the conference embarks on its new 16-team format and Greene earning high praise from those who evaluate players, the best chance to achieve success in 2024 is to build on the status quo as much as possible, not try to change it.