The West Virginia job is open as the school fired coach Neal Brown after six seasons and a record of 37-35 on Sunday. West Virginia is the fourth Power Four job to come open and second in the Big 12 after UCF coach Gus Malzahn resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State.
Brown’s tenure at West Virginia was a steady one, which was the problem. Five of his six seasons with the Mountaineers ended with five or six wins, and his teams peaked at 9-4 in the 2023 season, a season he entered already on the hot seat.
Clearly, the decision-makers at West Virginia believe the program is capable of more, particularly in a new-look Big 12 that seems destined to be one of the more wide-open conferences in the country on an annual basis. This year, the league saw many of the supposed preseason favorites finish in the bottom half of the standings, while those with low expectations competed for the conference title. All except West Virginia, anyway.
Where will the school turn? It’s hard to know for sure, but there are only so many Power Four gigs available, so it will attract plenty of candidates. Here’s a look at some names that could pop up on the ‘Eers radar.
West Virginia coaching candidates
Jimbo Fisher, former Florida State and Texas A&M coach: Fisher didn’t coach anywhere this season after being fired by Texas A&M. While his tenure in College Station didn’t live up to the hype, Fisher did win a national title while at Florida State, and there aren’t many national title winners out there these days. Fisher is from Clarksburg, West Virginia, and made plenty of money at Texas A&M (especially from his buyout after getting fired), so it’s possible he could come at a bit of a discount.
Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State and former West Virginia coach: Country Roads take me home … again? Rodriguez spent seven very successful seasons in Morgantown from 2001 to 2007, which saw him win 60 games and four Big East titles. While his departure for Michigan didn’t work out, he had a winning record in six seasons at Arizona and has done very well at Jacksonville State, going 26-10 in three seasons with the Gamecocks while helping them transition to the FBS level. His Gamecocks will play for a Conference USA title this week.
Barry Odom, UNLV coach: The longtime Missouri assistant only went 25-25 in his four seasons running the program, but he has bounced back impressively in his second head coaching job at UNLV. Odom has led the Rebels to a 19-7 record over two seasons, including a 12-3 mark in the Mountain West. He won a division title in 2023 and will play for a conference title against Boise State this week. He’s also shown the willingness to adopt an up-tempo, non-traditional offense, which isn’t too common among coaches who come from defensive backgrounds.
Tony Gibson, NC State defensive coordinator: NC State didn’t have the season we’ve grown accustomed to seeing under Dave Doeren, but Gibson remains one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the country and has ties to the program. Gibson was the defensive backs coach at WVU during Rodriguez’s tenure, and he returned for another six seasons from 2013 to 2018 as defensive coordinator. There isn’t a candidate out there more familiar with the program outside of Rodriguez.
Dan Mullen, ESPN analyst: As long as Dan Mullen is spending his weekends in a television studio, his name will be attached to open Power Four jobs. He’s only 52 and has been too successful as a head coach for it not to happen. Does he want to return to the sideline? That’s the biggest question, but Mullen is from Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, which is only 300 miles away from Morgantown.
Jeff Monken, Army coach: Jeff Monken’s accomplished nearly everything there is to accomplish at Army, and he has seen his name floated for plenty of Power Four openings in the past. As of yet, he hasn’t landed one, but West Virginia would make sense. Monken runs the option at Army but isn’t married to running the same scheme at a new job and has shown the ability to develop a culture and identity.
Ryan Silverfield, Memphis coach: Silverfield took over at Memphis after Mike Norvell left for Florida State, and he’s been rock solid for the Tigers. Memphis has won 10 games in each of the last two seasons, and Silverfield has won 41-21 games overall.
Glenn Schumann, Georgia defensive coordinator: Schumann’s name will be on the shortlist of every Power Four opening, so he can afford to be selective with his options. Will the 34-year old with two national titles on his resume since taking over the Georgia defense find the West Virginia job attractive enough to leave Athens? Maybe not, but why wouldn’t you check in on him?
Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State offensive coordinator: Kotelnicki has been coordinating exciting and explosive offenses for years, first under Lance Leipold at Buffalo and Kansas and now not too far down the road from Morgantown at Penn State. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before he gets a head coaching job. Could West Virginia lure him away from Happy Valley?
Tim Albin, Ohio coach: It feels like Jason Candle is the default MAC coach to attach to any job within the Rust Belt/Coal Belt area, but what about Ohio’s Tim Albin? After a slow start in his first season running the Bobcats, Albin’s teams have gone 29-10 the last three seasons and have won two division titles. They’ll play Miami (OH) for the MAC title this weekend.
