Head Coach Neal Brown took over the West Virginia football team in January, already several months behind on the 2020 recruiting cycle. As we wrote previously, Brown did a remarkable job holding serve on the 2019 class. Since then, he has added a few pieces to that class, including former five-star receiver George Campbell from Florida State and four-star transfer Austin Kendall from Oklahoma. While Brown has faced some attrition to the transfer market, the negative reaction to the same has been overblown. In the meantime, the Mountaineers’ Brown has been winning on the recruiting trail. In just six months, he has built an impressive start to the 2020 class.
Mountaineers’ Neal Brown Winning On Recruiting Trail
The Family Approach
As we expect to cover in more detail in a future article, Coach Brown has made clear that he focuses on family, faith, and football. He is building a team, and he is willing to share his efforts with fans, recruits, families, and the media. His tweets certainly offer a substantial look at his personal style and values.
Coach Brown hosts the D-Line this time for a night of bonding 🤝#HailWV pic.twitter.com/bu9mjXhI9U
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) June 12, 2019
He attends youth development camps and recruiting camps. And by all accounts, he is heavily involved in all of them. In fact, he even spent time enjoying the game with local youth at a recent event.
Grading the last QB on the video – good job avoiding the rush, but can’t throw off his back foot! Looks washed up to me! Fun day with our youth and middle school campers. Looking forward to day 2 tomorrow.
Mountaineers of all ages are important! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/8vAoopOCVe
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) June 10, 2019
Recruits have been responding extremely well. Take, for example, this tweet from defensive line prospect Quay Mays.
I can definitely say @NealBrown_WVU @coachalpogue @CoachLesley_WVU are special people family is big at WVU‼️#TrustTheClimb‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/kbs3PralBg
— Quay Mays (@mays_quay) June 17, 2019
The Current Breakdown
Based on the relationships Brown and his staff have built in such a short period, he has already formed an impressive nucleus. As of today, Brown has assembled the following recruits (not including blue shirts).
| Player | Position | State | Rivals | 247Sports* | ESPN |
| Zach Frazier | DT | WV | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jairo Faverus | CB | UK | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| David Vincent-Okoli | CB | MD | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Lanell Carr | DE/LB | MO | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| S.L. McCall | LB | IA | 2 | — | — |
| Devell Washington | WR | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Garrett Greene | QB | FL | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Reese Smith | WR | KY | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Chris Mayo | OL | NJ | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Jacob Gamble | OL | OH | — | 3 | — |
*The 247Sports ranking is the service’s specific ranking, not their composite ranking.
Winning on the Recruiting Trail
Brown’s approach is gaining traction among fans, current players, and recruits. The early results support this. Brown has worked tirelessly to sell the West Virginia brand. And he has done so by embracing the blue-collar work ethic for which Mountaineers are known.
Fired up about this team and the progress we are making! Only 87 days! #TrustTheClimb pic.twitter.com/h8vu7HFg5W
— Neal Brown (@NealBrown_WVU) June 5, 2019
So while there is still plenty of work to be done, Brown has been winning on the recruiting trail so far.
