Rich Rodriguez Shares Thoughts About WVU Predecessor Neal Brown

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Neal Brown era at WVU is over. But that hasn’t stopped fans from bringing him up and even going as far as to twist what current coaches and players say as a shot at him.

Perhaps wanting to calm down any remaining Brown noise so the fanbase and program can fully move on, West Virginia’s current head coach Rich Rodriguez decided to compliment his predecessor during his post practice press conference on Tuesday.

“Neal didn’t get to this level without being a good football coach. He’s a good football coach. There are a lot of factors that go into if you can be successful,” said Rodriguez.

WVU HC Rich Rodriguez: “Neal didn’t get to this level without being a good football coach. He’s a good football coach. There are a lot of factors that go into if you can be successful.”

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) April 1, 2025

In addition to this comment, Rodriguez even requested the media no longer ask any players who made the transition from Brown to compare their experience from prior years to what they are dealing with now as a Mountaineer.

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 level of success with West Virginia. The Mountaineers went 37-35 in six seasons under Brown with three bowl game appearances. The high point of Brown’s tenure was a nine-win 2023 season that finished with a victory in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over North Carolina.

Brown is now serving as a “special assistant to the head coach” at Texas after turning down opportunities at Group of 5 programs throughout the offseason.

Rodriguez, a West Virginia native, currently holds a 190-128-2 overall coaching record. He experienced most of his success while leading the Mountaineers from 2001-2007. At WVU, Rodriguez won four Big East titles and was named conference Coach of the Year twice. He added a third Coach of the Year honor in the Pac-12 in 2014 with Arizona.

But no matter how many games he won and trophies he lifted, Rodriguez’s first WVU tenure was tainted by the way he left – bolting for Michigan following the infamous 13-9 loss to Pitt, a defeat that cost the Mountaineers a trip the BCS National Championship Game.

After his departure from WVU, Rodriguez spent three lackluster years at Michigan and six seasons with Arizona, highlighted by winning 10 games and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl in 2014.

Rodriguez has now been offered something that’s never guaranteed after a breakup – a second chance. And while some fans may be hesitant to embrace him again, Rodriguez does have the support of key donors and notable alums like Pat McAfee, Steve Slaton and Owen Schmitt just to name a few.

In November 2022, WVSN’s Mike Asti asked WVU legend Rasheed Marshall if he would ever want Rodriguez to return as head coach of the Mountaineers during an episode of their past “All Three Phases” podcast.

For a related story, Mike Asti details the immense pressure that’s now on Rich Rodriguez to win big back at WVU.