"Like just about every other team in the country, West Virginia's roster saw a lot of turnover this offseason thanks to the transfer portal. Twenty scholarship players left the program with seventeen of them finding new homes"
I will give give Neal credit on this, it’s obviously much harder being a HC at this level than when any other WVU HC was here. Granted every program is going through this as well. However, how can any HC expect to build anything resembling a program? Seems the future is gonna be what Holgorsen and Deion Sanders were trying—-live off the portal. College sports as we knew it is over.
I’m not even sure Pat White stays at WVU with the transfer portal. I’m not even sure we flip Noel Devine from Florida State, let alone have a chance to get a 5star like him. It’s all changed and for schools like WVU, I’m not sure we will ever see the days again where we have a shot at a NC.
I can throw 3 picks in a game for a lot less
No doubt lol!! This is out of hand paying these kids so much money to get a free education...
There needs to be a separation of school and athlete now. Why are we pretending this isn’t minor league football? Why are we pretending these kids are students and getting an education? It’s pure BS
100% agree with your take. It's definitely not for the education anymore. They should just let High School seniors Go Pro like they do in basketball. It wouldn't fix it but it might set the stage.
I don't have a problem with that. He earned it. But he needs to win more than 8 next year for me to get back on the climb.
It was the smartest move, and the right thing to do.
1982 Sooners' other losses than to #19 WVU were #3 Nebraska by 4, #15 USC by 12, #6 ASU by 11. Those were all season end rankings and Oklahoma themselves finished #16 that year.
He was only gone this year if he had a catastrophic year. I just fear if he has 2 more seasons just like this, admin might keep him around and we end up with Holgorsen 2.0.
I get that fear for sure, and sadly I think Holgs even has an edge over Neal, at least based on results he does. We will see what happens. I still think he's a dud HC, but he does seem to be evolving a little in certain areas, so maybe he gets over the hump.
I thought he had the mentality to match and possibly exceed Holgorsen. I was most confident in the fact that were he to not pan out, he would leave the program in a better spot than he inherited it which is a low bar to clear. Unfortunately the NIL and transfer portal has made it to where that upside is gone because one year is all it takes to completely gut a roster. So now it all about creating a scheme and culture that wins games even with having to plug and chug some mercenaries in year to year. And in that regard we have seen ZERO growth from year 2 to 4. Some from year 4-5. Depth issues are only marginally better than year 1 and 2 and regardless of the NIL and transfer portal influence, it is an obstacle the HC must overcome to be successful.
There will continue to be good coaches come up through the system as long as the sport is in existence. New great coaches will arise. Old great coaches will get old. WVU took a chance on brown being one of the next good ones to come to through the ranks. So far it doesn't look like he will be one of the really good ones. We may have to keep looking if we are going to find that but maybe not. Maybe brown proves all the doubters wrong. WVU is certainly worthy of it.
Very well said! I agree with what you are saying. We will see how it pans out. He has another shot to prove himself as it is now.
