National Writer Feels Neal Brown Might Finish Season at WVU No Matter What

There’s no denying Neal Brown is on the hot seat, but one national writer doesn’t seem to feel he will be fired in the middle of the season no matter what.

While ESPN’s Pete Thamel has Brown as one of the coaches under the most pressure this season, he also cited the track record the WVU’s athletic director as why Brown will at least get to finish the season. Thamel brought up how Wren Baker handled things the last time he was presiding over a program with a coach on the hot seat.

Back in 2021, Baker allowed his coach at North Texas to stay on dispute a horrible start to this season and that year ended up in a strong finish and bowl appearance for the Mean Green.

Below is exactly what Thamel said about why he thinks a slow start to the season won’t necessarily mean Brown is out of a job before Halloween or even Thanksgiving.

Oddsmakers Say WVU Has Absolutely No Chance to Even Compete with Penn State

“Neal Brown is 22-25 during his time at WVU, and he’d be owed $13 million if fired. (That would be paid out over six years, which makes it more manageable for the school.) First-year athletic director Wren Baker’s history shows he’d be hesitant to fire Brown early in the season if the Mountaineers struggle,” said Thamel.

He continued. “In 2021 at North Texas, Baker kept coach Seth Littrell after a 1-6 start, and the Mean Green ended up winning five in a row and reaching a bowl. Brown can position himself for a narrative change with a trip to Penn State and home game against Pitt in September,” Thamel added as an example of what Baker could be reflecting back on if faced with the decision if to let Brown try to dig himself out of a hole or cut bait early and begin a search for the next leader of the Mountaineers.

What’s interesting about this take by Thamel is that Brown has been on just about every list around about coaches most likely to be fired this season, yet this is the first time someone has mentioned Baker’s patience as a factor that could be in Brown’s favor.

In a related story, Neal Brown believes in the vision of Baker despite being hired by his predecessor.