Possible Candidates for WVU’s New Outside Receivers Coach

Heading into the new year, there is only one vacancy on the WVU football coaching staff. On Dec. 21 WVU outside receivers coach Xavier Dye made a lateral move to become the wide receivers coach at the University of South Florida and reconnect with his former head coach, Jeff Scott.

Even with no clear-cut candidate for the position, using head coach Neal Brown’s previous hiring strategies a few possible candidates emerge. Brown, like many college football coaches, has a tendency to hire assistants that he is familiar with. Even when he came to WVU he brought several of his assistant coaches from Troy with him, including defensive coordinator Vic Koenning and offensive line coach Matt Moore. There are several people that Brown has worked with in the past that could fill the position.

Stedman Bailey – Former WVU Receiver

The day after it was announced that Dye was leaving, Bailey posted on Twitter that he was interested in the vacant position. After tallying more than 3,000 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns at WVU Bailey was drafted into the NFL where he played with the St. Louis Rams for three seasons. A shooting in 2015 that left Bailey in critical condition marked the end of his professional career.

Cornelius Willimas – Passing Game Coordinator/Outside Receivers, Troy

Williams is a Troy Alum, playing under Brown throughout his entire career when Brown was an assistant at the school. After his playing career Williams went on to coach at South Alabama, Jacksonville State and Alabama Birmingham before returning to Troy when Brown was hired as head coach in 2015. Williams has coached the Trojan receiver ever since.

Tommy Mainord – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers, North Texas

Mainord and Brown coached together at Texas Tech from 2010-2012 as the receivers coach and offensive coordinator, respectively. Mainord started his coaching career where he graduated, Tarleton State, before moving on to Sam Houston State and Lamar. From there he was hired at Texas Tech for three seasons with Brown. After that he moved on to the University of Kentucky and eventually to North Texas, where he had been for four seasons.

Kenny Edenfield – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, South Alabama

Edenfield was a coach at Troy for both of Brown’s stints with the Trojans, serving as offensive coordinator for eight seasons and being there a total of 10. He left Troy one season before Brown, in 2017, to become the offensive coordinator at South Alabama, where he just finished his second season. Edenfield has also made stops at North Alabama, Tulsa and Southwest Mississippi Community College.

Jaquon Robinson – Inside Receivers, Alabama State

Robinson played receiver at Troy in 2011 and 2012. He was a graduate assistant at Troy while Brown was there. He moved on to be the passing game coordinator at Dinwiddie High School for two seasons before moving to Alabama State in 2018.

Levi Brown – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Faulkner

Brown graduated from Troy and spent two seasons as a graduate assistant under Neal Brown in 2016 and 2017. As a player, Brown passed for 4,254 yards as a senior and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2010. He spent two seasons in the NFL and two in the CFL before becoming a coach. He was hired at Faulker in 2018.