West Virginia head coach Neal Brown wanted to invest in his coaching staff and football program.
“My first priority was retaining and rewarding our assistant coaches and support staff who have played such a critical role in our success,” Brown said.
That’s exactly what has happened after he agreed to take a $400,000 pay cut over three years to get an additional season on his contract with the one-year extension that was announced this past spring.
West Virginia gave all eight of the returning assistant coaches on the staff a bump in pay from last season.
“I just think it’s important. In leadership you don’t ever want to ask somebody to do something you wouldn’t do,” Brown previously said about the extension. “And I think you’re investing in people, and they need to understand the importance level behind it.”
Offensive coordinator Chad Scott jumped from $575,000 in his previous contract to $700,000 this season and then $725,000 the next. The rest of the offensive coaches read as offensive line coach Matt Moore going from $440,000 in his previous contract to $525,000 this year and then $550,000 the next, wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall going from $200,000 to $250,000 this season and then $300,000 the next and finally tight ends coach Blaine Stewart going from $200,000 to $225,000 the next two years.
The defensive coaches saw coordinator Jordan Lesley going from $750,000 in the final year of his three-year extension to $775,000 this year and $800,000 the next. The other defensive coaches saw secondary coach ShaDon Brown going from $450,000 on his last contract to $500,000 this year and $525,000 the next, inside linebackers coach Jeff Koonz going from $400,000 to $450,000 this year and $475,000 the next and then defensive line coach AJ Jackson going from $355,000 to $400,000 this year and $425,000 the next. That is exactly the type of commitment Brown said he would make.
West Virginia is now paying $455,000 more to the eight returning assistants than they were last season, which is key to retaining them long-term as well as keeping a competitive environment overall. It takes skilled assistants to have success as a football program and it’s clear the Mountaineers recognize that as well.
Overall, when you include the $200,000 two-year contracts for quarterbacks coach Tyler Allen and outside linebackers coach Victor Cabral the entire group of assistant coaches are now not only better compensated but under contract through the 2025 season and up until Feb. 28, 2026. That is at least two years of the current group under contract for the Mountaineers and many of them are making more money than before.
That's good business all around and helps to keep the Mountaineers' established systems in place.
"Continuity is important and for me. Keeping the leaders in those areas, the systems and the leaders that are driving those systems is important," Brown said.
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