Wren Baker: Coaching Search Underway, WVU Preparing for Bowl

WVU athletic director Wren Baker made the official announcement Sunday afternoon that football coach Neal Brown has been relieved of his duties.

“Coach Brown is a great person, and he has served as a tremendous ambassador for West Virginia University,” Baker said in a statement. “He led our storied program with class and integrity and always put in the hard work necessary to allow for success. We are grateful to Neal, his wife, Brooke, and their children for their contributions to our University, community and state, and we wish them the very best in their next endeavor.”

The Neal Brown era for West Virginia concludes with a 37-35 overall record and two bowl wins. Brown’s struggles against ranked opponents and failures in big games embody the darkest six-year period for the program since before Don Nehlen took over in 1980.

And even though Baker initially decided to retain Brown despite missing a bowl game altogether in 2022, he finally pulled the trigger on the heels of the disappointments of the 2024 season, one that followed hype and expectations of contending for a Big 12 title, not crawling to bowl eligibility.

In the statement released by the athletic department, Baker said the WVU football team will continue to prepare for its bowl game and that a national coaching search for Brown’s replacement is already underway.

“We will keep our focus on the incredible young men in our program and preparing for our bowl game,” Baker said. “Our national search for WVU’s 36th head football coach is already underway. I am confident that with the strong alignment among the university leadership, our passionate supporters, our proud history and our willingness to invest, we will have an outstanding pool of candidates.”

Baker has made several major hirings already in his tenure at West Virginia, including women’s basketball coach Mark Kellogg, men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries and the promotion of baseball coach Steve Sabins.