LAS VEGAS –
Neal Brown is bullish on his West Virginia football team.
WVU's sixth-year coach spent last year's media day in Texas defending his players and his program and proclaiming that they would not finish in last place where the media had predicted them.
Coming off a 9-4 season in 2023 that included a Duke's Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina and with several dynamic and talented players returning in all three phases, his Mountaineers appear to be in somewhat of a similar situation this year.
West Virginia was picked to finish seventh in the 16-team league and is not getting much top-25 consideration, a point that he brought up during his portion of today's press conference on the field at Allegiant Stadium.
"There is no question we rallied around that (last year), and a year ago when we were picked 14
th, I said we wouldn't be there and our team proved me right," he said. "I said that a year ago because I knew what we had on both fronts.
"To win in college football, you've got to be really talented in skill positions with difference makers there, but you've got to win in the trenches on your offensive and defensive lines. I knew we had those type of guys, so that 14 is something we rallied around."
Twelve months later, Brown was back in the same seat in a different venue reminding people that he's got some really good football players who are being a little bit undersold again this year.
"I look at most of these preseason top 25s and we're not in it with a team that finished strong last year, that returns a lot of production, that has one of the most dynamic players in all college football in
Garrett Greene," he said. "We were the No. 1 Power Four rushing offense in the country last year, and we're picked seventh in the league. We are not in these preseason top 25s so there is a similar dynamic that works with this year's team, too."
He continued.
"More importantly to me, on a personal level, our players are undervalued.
Garrett Greene is not getting talked about like some others and his production speaks for itself.
Wyatt Milum … we feel like he's as good or better than any offensive lineman in the country, and he's our starting left tackle. And I can go on and on," Brown said.
He's right.
How many returning quarterbacks out there have averaged better than 6.4 yards per rush for their college careers like Greene?
"I think he's got a chip on his shoulder, maybe more so than a year ago," Brown admitted. "There are a lot of quarterbacks that are getting talked about in our league and Garrett is not necessarily one of them. He arguably was the best runner in the league last year. He completed the most downfield passes, and he's not being discussed much.
"I don't think people fully understand the type of dynamic playmaker he is," he added. "You start getting in some opponent prep and you see that he's not getting accolades other do and his production is better."
Running back
Jahiem White averaged nearly 8 yards per carry during his freshman season, teaming with Greene to give the Mountaineers their most explosive backfield tandem since the Pat White and Steve Slaton days in the mid-2000s.
He's another player that is still relatively known despite what he accomplished toward the latter part of the season.
"Offensive football is about getting your best players the football anyway possible," Brown noted. "We have
Jahiem White coming back, who I think is dynamic. He finished the year off really strong, and he's only going to be a sophomore. I think he's ready to take the next step and become a premier player.
"CJ Donaldson was kind of beat-up last year, but he's a powerful running back. I think he will come back and remind our fanbase and college football fans across the country what he showed as a freshman and the potential he has.
"We also have some receivers that we can get the ball to, too. There are going to be enough touches to go around, and that's part of the game plan," he said. "You've got to figure out how to get your best people the ball and getting them in space where they can make plays."
One of the new guys added to the roster last winter who is a potential difference-maker is Oklahoma State transfer
Jaden Bray.
Brown was asked about the wide receiver today.
"Jaden is really talented, and I thought he was slowed by injuries last year," Brown said. "He is a tremendous human being, first of all, so he's been a great addition to our locker room. I like the type of character he has and how he was raised. Those are all positives.
"He's long, he can jump, and he can run. Now, for us, it's about getting production from him (on a weekly basis). I'm excited to be coaching him. He's been a joy since he came here in January, and I think he's sitting on not just one, but two high-quality productive years."
Some of this perceived lack of respect can be remedied on the opening weekend of the season in Morgantown when West Virginia plays host to Penn State on FOX.
The network chose that game as its introduction to the 2024 college football season with its Big Noon crew coming to Morgantown to promote the game and its telecast. The FOX airways will be filled with West Virginia-Penn State game promos the entire month of August.
It's a game that can not only do a lot for Brown's program and his players, but it can also get the newly reconfigured Big 12 without Texas and Oklahoma off to a great start.
"The Penn State game is huge for us," Brown admitted. "That's a regional rivalry, and it's a rivalry that's not gone in West Virginia's favor very often. That's a great opportunity for us with a FOX noon kickoff and all the people from their Big Noon show will be there. We're fired up about that and our fans will be ready for that too, and they will show up really well on national television.
"But it's not just a big game for West Virginia; it's a big game for our league, and it's an opportunity for our league in this new Big 12 without a couple of schools that have been a part of the Big 12 for a long time, in that first weekend on a marquee stage what kind of football that we play," he continued. "Without question, whether it's West Virginia or any other program in the Big 12 who gets those marquee wins, our brand will continue to grow."
An opening week win over Penn State would certainly accomplish that. It would also enhance West Virginia's brand and continue the positive trends that have taken place over the last 12 months.
"From my perspective, I think we're undervalued. Now we've got to go out there and prove it. I'm excited about this group. I like the pieces, and I think we have a chance to be elite on offense, and I think we are going to be much improved defensively," Brown concluded.
