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MORGANTOWN -- West Virginia University made it official shortly after 10 a.m. today: Neal Brown is the next head football coach.
The move comes only two days after former Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen was officially hired by the University of Houston.
The 38-year-old Brown is one of six FBS coaches with 10 victories in each of the past three seasons. Details of the contract is still being worked out, but it appears the former University of Kentucky assistant will receive a six-year deal.
West Virginia University Athletics Director Shane Lyons issued the following statement this morning on Twitter: “Mountaineer Nation – I am excited to announce Coach Neal Brown as our 35th @WVUfootball coach. Please welcome Neal, his wife, Brooke, and their children, Adalyn, Anslee and Dax, to West Virginia! #HailWV”
Brown is 35-16 in four seasons with the Trojans, including 10-3 this season.
Troy has recorded three straight double-digit win seasons, each of which ended with a bowl victory.
Holgorsen, who was 61-41 during his eight-year stay in Morgantown, posted an 8-4 mark in 2018. WVU, for the second straight season, lost its last three games, including bowl losses to Utah (30-14) in 2017 and Syracuse (34-18) this past season.
Brown grew up in Danville, Ky., which is about 150 miles from the West Virginia state line.
He was offensive coordinator at Troy, Texas Tech and Kentucky before taking over for the retiring Larry Blakeney in 2015.
His first Troy team went 4-8, but he quickly turned the program around.
The Trojans went 10-3 and won the Dollar General Bowl in 2016, went 11-2 and shared in the Sun Belt Conference title in 2017 and went 10-3 and won the Dollar General Bowl again this year.
Brown's Troy teams developed a reputation as giant-killers. The Trojans played eventual national champion Clemson close in 2016 (losing 30-24), then defeated LSU 24-21 in 2017 and at Nebraska 24-19 in 2018.
It's not immediately clear whom Troy would pursue to replace Brown. Among current Trojans staffers, defensive coordinator Vic Koenning has head coaching experience, having held the Wyoming job from 2000-02.