This week on Inside the Headset we are featuring West Virginia University Head Coach, Neal Brown’s session from the 2021 AFCA Virtual Convention. Coach Brown has been named the honorary head coach of the 2020 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his leadership in the Morgantown community and his commitment to education, developing future leaders and giving back. During this session, Coach Brown shares the personal impact of Coach John Schlarman, discusses the importance of developing a plan, and highlights key principles that guide the Mountaineer football program.

Neal Brown is the head coach for the West Virginia Mountaineer football program. Brown has implemented a “5th-Quarter Program” for the team to assist in the development of the total player. The pillars of the program are character development, leadership development, real life, social responsibility and career development.

In September 2020, Brown was named the honorary head coach for the AllState AFCA Good Works Team, honoring him for his commitment to leadership, the Morgantown community and Mountaineer Nation as a whole.

Prior to taking over at WVU, Brown spent the previous four years as the head coach at Troy University (2015-18). Before that, Brown spent two years (2013-14) as the offensive coordinator under Mark Stoops at Kentucky. He also spent three years at Texas Tech (2010-12) as the offensive coordinator after his first stint at Troy as an assistant coach from 2006-09.

• [1:55] Start of session
• [4:24] The influence of coaches
• [7:57] Overcoming adversity: Coach John Schlarman
• [14:01] Three important lessons to focus on as a coach
• [17:35] How you coach matters
• [20:05] Preparing to become a head coach
• [29:34] Developing a motto and a mission
• [33:49] Creating environmental principles
• [38:24] Maintaining an organizational flow chart and plan