College Football
Is Neal Brown on Verge of Landing OC Job at Ohio State?

It’s possible former WVU head coach Neal Brown may be on the verge of landing his next job, and it would be a big one. Rumors are circulating, including from credible places like 247 Sports, that Brown is a candidate to become Ohio State’s next offensive coordinator.
The Silver Bulletin also reported that Brown is an actual candidate.
Former West Virginia HC Neal Brown is reportedly a candidate for the vacant Ohio State OC position.
Brown, whose offenses have always been highly-ranked, runs a spread system similar to Ohio State's. pic.twitter.com/dVHGVgZ0ZH
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) February 3, 2025
The job with the Buckeyes became open when Chip Kelly decided to leave college football to take the same role with the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Brown, who was fired by West Virginia on Dec. 1, served as an offensive coordinator at Troy, Texas Tech and Kentucky before gaining his first head coaching opportunity in a return to Troy in 2015.
After success at Troy, which included three-straight 10 plus-win seasons and a staple victory over LSU, WVU hired Brown to be the program’s 35 the head coach in 2019.
Unfortunately for Brown, he was never able to achieve anything close to that with West Virginia. The Mountaineers went 37-35 in six seasons under Brown with three bowl game appearances. The high point of Brownโs tenure was a nine-win 2023 season that finished with a victory in the Dukeโs Mayo Bowl over North Carolina.

WVU head coach Neal Brown after beating UNC in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 27, 2023. (Mitchell Northam / WV Sports Now)
Upon his WVU exit, Brown was linked to Group of 5 head coaching jobs at Appalachian State and Charlotte. Brown turned down both opportunities.
While some may feel being a coordinator is a step down for someone who was just a head coach at Power Four school, serving as an offensive coordinator at a blue blood like Ohio State could do wonders to boost Brown’s value for a future opening.
I said it at the time and I'll say it again, becoming a coordinator at an elite powerhouse of a program will be better for Neal Brown's career than being a head coach at G5 right now. Serving on a really successful staff and winning at a really high level will help his value forโฆ
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) February 3, 2025
โI want to coach, I think there are a lot of positives from a personal perspective and professionally,โ Brown said about his future on Dec. 6. โAnd there are some really good jobs open. There are jobs that are resourced well in leagues that you can go win. My anticipation is that I will (be a head coach) but time will tell.โ
So it’s possible Brown could go from West Virginia to the national champions and finally experience winning at a high level.
Find more coverage of Neal Brown at WV Sports Now.
jackson five
February 3, 2025 at 3:47 pm
i wish him all the best,, despite his hard time at wvu, thiswill be a feather in his hat if he gets selected as the OC at OSU… some coaches are better off being assistants than head coaches,,, good luck Neal.