Neal Brown contract: West Virginia coach agrees to pay cut, reduced buyout as part of extension, per report

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West Virginia and Neal Brown have agreed to a one-year contract extension aimed at keeping the sixth-year coach in Morgantown through the 2027 season, according to the university. While the school did not officially release the adjusted terms of the deal, Brown said in a statement that his “first priority was retaining and rewarding our assistant coaches and support staff who have played such a critical role in our success.” 

That falls in line with local reporting, which cites Brown’s desire to reinvest in the program as a reason for the adjusted terms that include a small salary cut and a decreased buyout. 

The new four-year deal actually decreases what Brown’s salary would have been over the next three years by a total of $400,000, according to MetroNews’ Hoppy Kercheval. Instead of being under contract for $4.1 million in 2024, $4.2 million in 2025 and $4.4 million in 2026, Brown’s new deal calls for a salary of $4 million in each of the next two seasons before a bump to $4.3 million in 2026 and then a raise to $4.4 for 2027, the extra year added to his contract. His buyout has also reportedly been dropped from 100% of the contract to 75% if he is fired at any point. 

Brown was one of the most popular candidates in the hot seat discussion heading into the 2023 season. CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd gave him a 5 out of 5 on his hot seat scale, noting that the program was coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1978-79. The outlook for the Mountaineers success wasn’t encouraging, either, so much so that the Big 12 media had Brown’s group slated…

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