Poll: Does Firing Jordan Lesley Change Your Opinion of Neal Brown?

The WVU fanbase is about as fed up as they’ve ever been based on West Virginia’s roller coaster ride of a 2024 season. But on Tuesday, something fans have been calling for happened – defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley was fired. While that one move is not enough by itself to galvanize everyone again or fix the problems, it does bring up an interesting question for Mountaineer Nation.

Now that Lesley has been removed, could that move help sell you on retaining Neal Brown as head coach? The question is basically asking if the decision to move on from Lesley could help you feel better about another season with Brown leading the Mountaineers?

As expected, the firing of Lesley sparked a strong reaction from WVU fans. And even though Brown released a statement about the decision, we at WV Sports Now wanted to offer what we know about the situation in an effort to clear up any confusion.

• It was Brown’s decision to part ways with Lesley
• Brown previously fought to keep Lesley and the defensive staff intact after West Virginia endured a rough 2022 season.
• The decision to fire Lesley was in the works for multiple weeks and the bye week was viewed as the right time if things did not improve defensively. That means the defense had to perform no matter if the Mountaineers won as a team.
• WVU director of athletics Wren Baker and Brown talk frequently and any reports that Brown was forced to do this by Baker are false.
• The decision to promote Jeff Koonz instead of ShaDon Brown likely signals the writing being on the wall for (ShaDon) Brown.
• The expectation is no decision about (Neal) Brown’s future will take place until the end of the season.
• The expectation is also that (Neal) Brown will remain on as head coach barring a collapse in the final four games.

Clearing Up Any Confusion About WVU Football Firing Jordan Lesley

The Mountaineers are currently on their second bye week of the season and will return to action to begin a favorable four-game stretch at Cincinnati on Nov. 9.

Stay with WV Sports Now for more on this developing story and our coverage of the WVU football program.

For a related story, WVU director of athletics Wren Baker sent a message to fans to address the football disappointment and update the fall sports calendar.