Neal Brown, West Virginia Football Head Coach

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Download June's Journey now on your Android or iOS device or play on PC through Facebook games. We miss college football. Stands in, he throws into the end zone. It's caught by Isaiah Bond in the corner of the end zone. Touchdown Alabama.

We can't wait for the 2024 season. Hands it off to Edwards who will bounce it outside. Donovan 40, Donovan 30, Donovan Edwards is in the clear. His second touchdown run of the ball game. This time for 46 yards.

And Michigan has taken a 13 to 3 lead on the second touchdown of the night from the man who was not tripping. And we're counting down the days to kick off. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? I said no. Are we there yet?

What's wrong with your ears? Here is your college football fix only on the Zach Gelb show. Alrighty, rocking and rolling. We continue this Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. It's time for a little college football fix. We are 80 days away from West Virginia kicking off its season against Penn State. Last year, the Mountaineers had a nine-win season and now joining us is the head football coach at West Virginia entering his sixth season.

And that, of course, is Coach Neil Brown. Coach, first and foremost, thanks so much for doing this. And how you been? Hey, I am good. I'm good.

I appreciate you having me on. And for anybody that's watching, that's my nine-year-old son that just slid behind our grease board there. I just saw it as I was talking to you. So Dax is his name. Dax, you and the board slide out of the picture there. That's wonderful. If anybody was questioning whether this was live or not, hey, we're ready to roll. That's great.

Well, how about the program that you have now? You're entering your sixth season. You guys are coming off a big win and it seems like obviously it's a family atmosphere at West Virginia. Yeah, well, we have momentum. And momentum is only as good as your last game. And so we've got a challenging schedule coming up.

It starts right here in our home stadium, Mountaineer Field, where we host Penn State on the Fox big noon game. And that's a game that we're really excited about. And we returned a lot of production off our team last year. I think we've got a good mix of youth and experience. Offensively, we bring back almost in our entire production and all our skill positions. We miss our center. Zach Frazier was second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And then Doug Nestor, who was a starting lineman here for us for three years. But we've got a large piece of that back. And it starts with Garrett Green and Jaheim White at running back, who I think is as good as anybody.

C.J. Donaldson is a big, powerful back, provide a one-two punch. And then defensively, our front, which played really well down the stretch last year, a lot of that production is back. We feel like we've made some real improvements at linebacker. And then secondary, that's where we needed to make our biggest jump. And our secondary and then approving a couple of our special teams is where we need to make a jump to be able to go from a nine win to a 10-11 team win and a team that can get to Dallas for our playoff or for our championship and into the playoff.

You talk about all the guys that you return and we'll get into more detail about them in a bit. But now there's expectations now. I don't want to say you guys didn't have a belief, but you have something tangible to hold on to with the nine win season. How are you guys last year able to block out all the noise?

Right. Everyone had your name on the hot seat. People were talking negatively about the program and get the season that you guys were able to have a year ago. Well, I think just from a leadership standpoint, myself and our staff, we always believed that in our plan and our process, and there were some things that occurred that are out of our control that maybe where it took a year, a year and a half longer than maybe we anticipated getting it turned. But we felt really good about what we're doing offensively and defensively on special teams.

Felt really good about how we set up our calendar. We felt good about our support areas. And it's been a slow build. People on the outside don't really think about your support areas, but your nutrition, your sports psychology, your strength and conditioning, those are nutrition.

I can keep going on athletic training, those things, really the foundational pieces of your program, those take time. And they weren't here when we first got here. We built them up where we feel like they're a real big strength of ours now. We've gone all in on technology and sports science. And that's something that I think sets us apart. It's a difference maker for us in recruiting and retaining.

And so it just takes time. And so we felt good about what we had. We always talk about the from a facility standpoint, support staff going into last year is really when we felt like this is what we have in place gives us an opportunity. And then we've slowly been building through the high school ranks and our talents good enough. And so we had a lot of confidence and we knew we had a few players that people didn't know about. Garrett Green or Jaheim White that were really good players that just hadn't had an opportunity to show it yet. And your quarterback, Garrett Green, had twenty nine total touchdowns a year ago as Coach Neil Brown is here with us.

Dual threat guy could kill you on the ground, can kill you through the air just for people that haven't seen him. And now maybe they'll get a better understanding of who he is this year with some expectations with your program. Just what can people expect out of your quarterback?

Well, there's not going to be any more anybody in the country that's more fun to watch. He's entertaining. He's capable of capable of a big play every time he touches it. He's got elite speed for the position.

He's not as big as some other people, but he's big enough. He's really got lower body strength, which enables him to break tackles and run away from people. He extends plays. He throws the ball down the field extremely well. I think he led college football and explosive passes last year.

He but he's and he's really intelligent. And what our big push for him during the offseason has been is really getting him where he's more efficient on short and intermediate throws. And those really come into effect down in the red zone and on third down and medium and third down and long. And so we feel like if he can go from a 53 percent passer to a 60 to 63 percent passer, then he's got a chance to be as productive as any quarterback in the country this year. Coach Neil Brown here with us, you know, headed into last season, I was familiar with C.J. Donaldson Jr. and Jaheim White had a really big breakout season for you guys. When you have a young player like White who had so much success in your one, what was kind of the message to him in this offseason knowing, hey, this guy could produce in big boy college football, but there's still more room to grow?

Yeah, I think that it's just about taking a step in the way that that I talked to Jaheim and he's got special talent. Is OK, here's where we've got to improve. We got to improve and pass protection. We have to prove in our productivity in the receiving game.

And now our expectations of you are much higher than they were as a true freshman. But when I talk to him, what will we ask? I ask him, I'm like, OK, if you had the exact same production, which he was in that 700, 800 yard range, I believe. So if we fast forward and all of a sudden it's December and that's the yardage you have, are you going to be pleased? And the answer, of course, is no, he wants more.

OK, so if you want to be more productive, then you have to put in more work. And that's the real challenge for him is the offseason winner. The summer is putting in the real work where he can do that. You were very confident heading into last year, Coach Neil Brown, and a few of the things you said at Big 12 media days obviously caught some fire. You know, this team this year, I know earlier you talked about, you know, get into a Big 12 championship and also get into a college football playoff spot. And obviously it expands to 12 teams this year. Going into this year, obviously you're going to be confident, but why do you think this team could accomplish all those things that you laid out earlier for us?

Well, it's a challenge without a question. You know, we've got a great opportunity to really get on the national landscape in week one. I feel strongly off our body of work from last season and who we have returning that we should be a preseason top 25. And the way college football works, you've got to be around that preseason, either in the preseason top 25 or around it to be able to get into some of those discussions. That's just the way it kind of works. And so with our production, and then we played a really challenging schedule, go Penn State host, opener, Albany really good FCS opponent, then we go to Pitt.

Backyard brawl. Yeah, we play 11 power five opponents, which we're one of the few teams that do that in the country. And so our schedule is as challenging as anybody out there. The Big 12 conference is extremely competitive. And I think it's one of the more exciting conference races there is because there's there's not a whole a whole big difference one through 16 in our league. And it's not a top heavy league like some other team, other other conferences. And that gives you a real opportunity. You know, the access to the playoff is from where we're sitting in West Virginia is much greater than it is in some of these schools in the SEC in the Big 10.

And it just is. And so that's that's something that that we're talking about. You know, the West Virginia has never been in the Big 12 conference, start your summer road trip at Midas and get up to $30 off your next repair service plus get a free closer look vehicle check to make sure your road trip ready. So if you need to break service and alignment check or tune up hit up Midas for up to $30 off.

For more details request your appointment at Midas.com. Are you a fan of mystery and adventure? Introducing June's Journey, the captivating free to play mobile game that will ignite your inner detective. Play as June Parker in a thrilling murder mystery adventure as you search for hidden objects to uncover the truth behind her sister's death. Step into the glamorous world of the roaring 20s with stunningly illustrated scenes and over 1000 mysteries to unravel with new chapters added weekly, you'll never run out of clues to chase and suspects to interrogate. Plus, you can build your own island escape with beautiful gardens and buildings, and even join a detective club to collaborate with other players. Experience the thrill of being a detective and unravel the mystery in June's Journey.

Download June's Journey now on your Android or iOS device or play on PC through Facebook games. Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug, ignored a leaky faucet, pretended your half painted living room is supposed to look that way? Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects, whether it's a door that sticks or a disorganized closet or an AC unit that only works half the time.

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Download Thumbtack and start a project today. Thumbtack has been one of the biggest championships since 2012. And that's the goal for us. The playoff, we know if we get to that game, then more than likely we're going to get in the playoff. And so that'll take care of itself. But for us, it's about doing something that's never been done. And it's about those daily processes to get us there.

It's about the daily process and you have success. Now you're not going to fly under anyone's radar. And you know that. But then also, I know there's so much change in college football now, but people still have that fear of maybe complacency sets in. So let me ask you in this offseason program and leading up to game one up against Penn State, have you sensed your team even hungrier than maybe where they were a year ago?

Well, we better be. Penn State handily beat us. We were competitive in that game, but we didn't make the plays we needed to make in the second and third quarter to be able to win it. And we still remember vividly them scoring late in the game and putting that game out of reach. And so this is a great, it's about us showing how much better we've got.

It doesn't have anything to do with Penn State. We know they're going to be a top 10 team. We feel really good, you know, their talent and how they how their coach, those guys do a great job.

But how much have we improved as a program? And then we're a team that just because we won a bowl game and nine games. I wasn't, you know, we were we were up midway through the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State in a game. We went here, you know, we had a fluke play where we were getting the ball back up for in one of our jammers on the punt return runs into our punt returner. And and then Oklahoma State scores two plays later. Take the take control of that game. We got beat at Hail Mary at Houston. And so we're really close to being 11 win team, but we weren't.

And so we've got to do things during this time of the year, the summer to earn the opportunity to be in those types of games again. But this time, make sure the outcome goes our way. How are you guys able to keep that trust? Just wondering, because for a while, right, like going into last year, coach, you know what the conversation was, Neil Brown. People thought that there was going to be a new coach and new leadership here that I was going to be talking to in preview in West Virginia. And you guys were able to stick it to a lot of people.

So how did you keep everyone still on one page and working as a team and all locked in? Yeah, I think just being transparent with the guys like, you know, I think our team ever felt that pressure just because I never from being in the leader of the of the entire organization. I never put that on our assistance. Our assistance never put that on our players. You know, I think your attitude and how you conduct business. You know, if you have belief and you explain the why, why we're doing this and why we have belief, then and you treat people right.

Then I think you get good results. And so our guys never felt that that pressure was coming from the outside world. And the other thing, too, is our administration, you know, our athletic director and Baker and our president, Gordon Gee, there was good alignment.

And so I didn't necessarily feel we knew that we needed to win, but I wasn't getting daily pressure from them. And also, I knew like we were returning most of our front, our defensive front, which was really productive. We were turning the most starts in the Big 12 on our offensive line. I think we were top three in the country.

Offensive line starts coming back. So any time you're good on both fronts, you got a chance. And that's where the the national media really missed. And that's why I think it was lazy, just because college football is one in the trenches.

One hundred percent. We had a bunch of production coming back on both sides of the ball. And that's why I was really comfortable and confident that we were going to play much better. Last thing I'll ask you, when you go into the season right now, what do you think the biggest strength of your team is, Neil Brown?

And then what's the area this offseason? You're like you talk about improvements where you say, OK, this is the area we improve the most on this football team entering into the season. Well, I think when you start, our strengths got to be running the football. We led the power five and in rushing last year. And that's got to continue to be a strength.

That's who we are. We want to be a team that runs the ball extremely well and hits explosive pass plays. And so that will remain the strength of our team. Defensively, I think the strength is we tackle well. And I think we've. How we prepare our guys to go tackle is unique.

And I think we're on to onto something. And I think we'll continue to take a step there and how we tackle the two areas improvement that we've got. There's three.

I'll give you three. First of all, on special teams, our kickoff cover team has got to be much improved. And it starts with our kicker. We got to kick the ball in the end zone. That that unit really hurt us last year. Second thing on defense is we've got to be better at taking the football away. We didn't have enough takeaways last year. We got to take the ball away. And then the third thing offensively is we've got to be better on third downs and score touchdowns in the red zone. And both those are linked to our pass efficiency and our completion percentage has got to be higher in those situations. Which is one more for you, Neil Brown, actually, that just popped into my head for people that are still doubting your program and West Virginia and think last year was just a fluke and it was a one hit wonder.

What do you say to people like that? Well, I don't know how you would say that, you know, that we were the 15th winningest program in the country. We've been in a bunch of different conferences and we've always been extremely competitive.

And I think, too, is is if I was going to make a statement for our team again, you know, I would argue that, you know, we got a first round pick. It left talk when we have one of, if not the most exciting player in college football at quarterback, we've got two running backs that have been freshman All-American. Turned almost every catch that we had from a year ago at our receiving corps. And we were extremely explosive. Turned on defense is we were very good at running, stopping the run and TFLs and sacks. And we feel like we've even improved ourselves from a year ago.

And so that's a ton. And we return our kicker, our long snapper, our punter and our returners. And so there's not a whole lot of teams across college football who have done that.

And so that's what my belief comes from. And I think we've also added some key pieces in areas of needs that will help us on our ability to rush the passer in one on one situations and be able to defend the pass on defense. Well, coach, I never need any incentive, extra incentive to root against Penn State, be it a Temple University grad. But I think you provided that today.

So good luck coming up against Penn State 80 days from now. And good luck and good health to your entire team for this upcoming season. Yeah, I appreciate it. Appreciate what you do for college football.

Appreciate you having me on. Start your summer road trip at Midas and get up to thirty dollars off your next repair service. Plus, get a free Closer Look vehicle check to make sure your road trip ready. So if you need a brake service and alignment check or tune up, hit up Midas for up to thirty dollars off.

For more details, request your appointment at Midas.com. Are you a fan of mystery and adventure? Introducing June's Journey, the captivating free to play mobile game that will ignite your inner detective. Play as June Parker in a thrilling murder mystery adventure as you search for hidden objects to uncover the truth behind her sister's death. Step into the glamorous world of the Roaring Twenties with stunningly illustrated scenes and over a thousand mysteries to unravel. With new chapters added weekly, you'll never run out of clues to chase and suspects to interrogate. Plus, you can build your own island escape with beautiful gardens and buildings and even join a detective club to collaborate with other players. Experience the thrill of being a detective and unravel the mystery in June's Journey.

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