West Virginia Football: 4 candidates to replace Neal Brown

The West Virginia Mountaineers are 3-4 in head coach Neal Brown’s sixth year at the school. This is well below the expectations the Mountaineers had for the former Troy Trojans coach that led the group of five program to three straight double digit win seasons in his last three years at the school.

Brown’s overall record for the Trojans after four years at the helm in Troy, Alabama was an impressive 55-16. So far as the head coach of the Mountaineers, he Is only 34-33. Brown was hired by the Mountaineers ahead of the 2019 season after they parted ways with previous head coach, Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen went 61-41 in eight years with the Mountaineers, which is a winning percentage much higher than that of Brown.

With Brown only a whisker above a .500 winning percentage during his time with the school, there is a strong possibility he will be let go at the end of the season, if not before its conclusion. The question will then become who is the next coach up in Morgantown, so I share some that I think have potential to take the job.

Who will be the next head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers?

Glenn Schumann

Glenn has been on the Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff under head coach Kirby Smart since 2016, working his way up to the defensive coordinator role which he has held since 2022. Schumann was a member of the defensive coaching staff for the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.

Prior to his time at Georgia, Schumann also served on Nick Saban’s staff for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2008 to 2014 where he was on the staff for three national championships.

Schumann’s background is quite impressive considering the two head coaches he has been under and the numerous assistants as well.

I the Mountaineers are looking to reincarnate what resides in Athens, Georgia, Schumann could be their ticket.

Colin Klein

Klein is currently the offensive coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies, a position he took over after leaving his post with the Kansas State Wildcats where he held the same position in 2022 and 2023. Klein’s offenses were top notch at Kansas State, including a 10-win season in 2022.

The former Wildcats quarterback could be an attractive option given his Big 12 background and ability to score points.

Andy Kotelnicki

Kotelnicki has quite the track record in alignment with current Kansas Jayhawks head coach, Lance Leipold. Kotelnicki followed Leipold for over a decade as his offensive coordinator at Wisconsin-Whitewater, the University of Buffalo and Kansas. Kotelnicki took the offensive coordinator job in 2024 for the Penn State Nittany Lions under head coach James Franklin.

While the Jayhawks’ offense has seen quite the dip, the Nittany Lions are humming along with a 6-0 record and ranked third in the country.

A head coaching gig seems like the logical next step for Kotelnicki, and the Mountaineers could be a good fit.

Jimbo Fisher

Everyone knows Jimbo. The former Florida State and Texas A&M head coach seemingly regressed after leading the Seminoles to a National Championship with quarterback Jameis Winston in 2013, but is still an appealing option given his ties to the state of West Virginia.

Fisher was born and raised in Clarksburg, West Virginia which is just south down interstate 79 from Morgantown. Although Fisher is a native West Virginian, his regression after winning a National Championship with the Seminoles which continues during his time with the Aggies would be difficult to ignore.