Neal Brown had three losing seasons in his first four seasons in Morgantown before enjoying his most prosperous season with the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2023, which featured nine victories and the most productive running assault in the Big 12 (228.9 yards per game).
The school’s four-win increase from year to year was the most since Rich Rodriguez’s first two seasons saw the Mountaineers go from three victories in 2001 to nine in 2002.
What are the three most important questions for Brown at Big 12 Media Days as he gets ready to coach the club in the 2024 collegiate season?
Three Most Significant Questions for Neal Brown at Big 12 Media Days
1) Can the Run Game Continue To Impress?
In terms of rushing yards per game, West Virginia was first in the conference and fourth nationally. The Mountaineers favored the ground-and-pound strategy in an age when college football placed a strong emphasis on passing; they rank inside the top 10 in FBS by averaging over 43 running attempts per game.
The three-headed backfield that consisted of starting quarterback Garrett Greene (772 yards), sophomore CJ Donaldson Jr. (798 yards), and true freshman Jahiem White (842 yards) was the only one in the nation to have three players that totaled more than 700 rushing yards in 2023.
The offensive line still has experience and skill, even with the departure of multi-year mainstays Doug Nester and Zach Frazier.
Wyatt Milum, an in-state left tackle, is leading the charge and has a chance to be chosen in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. All things considered, there is reason for hope that West Virginia’s run game will continue to be a strong part of the offense.
Greene passed for 2,406 yards and 16 touchdowns in his debut season as a starter, with just four interceptions. In addition to scoring 13 more points on the ground, Greene tied for third place among Big 12 players in terms of touchdowns, only quarterbacks from Kansas State and Oklahoma who left the conference this offseason (Dillon Gabriel and Will Howard).
WR Jaden Bray from Oklahoma State was added by WVU through the transfer portal, joining a group that also includes Preston Fox, Traylon Ray, and Hudson Clement. In order to provide Greene with a dependable target over the middle of the field, tight end Kole Taylor is back for a second season.
West Virginia had an 8-0 record in games played last autumn when Greene attempted 25 passes or fewer. On the other hand, when their quarterback was forced to throw beyond that amount, the Mountaineers lost 4–0.
Last season, West Virginia’s defense was excellent and led the Big 12 with 33 sacks. Nevertheless, they still made a big statement by recruiting FCS star Ty French through the transfer market in an attempt to strengthen the pass rush.
French, an outside linebacker from Gardner-Webb who was named an All-American three times, has amassed a career total of 239 stops, 61 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, and 34.5 sacks.
He is anticipated to form a potent linebacker tandem with Tyrin Bradley (5.0 TFL in 2023) that will make life more difficult for opposing Big 12 quarterbacks.
