Former West Virginia coach Neal Brown, who was fired by the Mountaineers on Sunday, could be a factor in two college football coaching searches in North Carolina.
Brown is considered a “central figure” in Appalachian State’s head coaching search and “could now be in the mix” at Charlotte also, according to John Brice from FootballScoop.com.
Charlotte’s head job has been open since Nov. 18 when the school dismissed Biff Poggi. Appalachian State announced Monday that it was not bringing Shawn Clark back after six seasons.
There was talk coming into this week that a hire was imminent at Charlotte, with names like Tim Brewster (Charlotte interim coach), Tony Gibson (NC State defensive coordinator), Bobby Petrino (Arkansas offensive coordinator) and Tim Albin (Ohio head coach) mentioned as front-runners.
Gibson reportedly has withdrawn his name from consideration (possibly due to interest in the new opening at West Virginia). UPDATE: We are hearing as of Tuesday afternoon that Bobby Petrino has withdrawn his name as well.
Western Carolina coach Kerwin Bell was at one point the betting favorite to take the Charlotte job. But his name seems to have faded from consideration with the 49ers, though it is being mentioned for the Appalachian State coaching search in some circles, sources tell NC Football News.
Brown would be an intriguing hire for either in-state program. He coached at Troy State, a Sun Belt school, from 2015-18.
After a 4-8 record in his first season, Brown led Troy to a 10-3 mark in 2016. The 2017 team finished 11-2 in 2017, upsetting LSU during the regular season and winning the Sun Belt. The 2018 squad went 10-3 and earned the Sun Belt East title.
Brown was not able to parlay his Sun Belt success into a turnaround of West Virginia’s program. His WVU teams posted an overall 37-35 record, 25-28 in Big XII play. The 2023 squad went 9-4 and won the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over North Carolina – Brown’s high water mark as head coach in Morgantown – but this year’s team finished a disappointing 6-6, tied for eighth in the conference.
Here are other names we’re hearing at NC Football News associated with the opening at Appalachian State:
Steve Wilks | Charlotte volunteer assistant
The well-traveled defensive coach is an Appalachian State alumnus, playing defensive back for coaches Sparky Woods and Jerry Moore with the Mountaineers from 1987-91.
He got his start in coaching at Johnson C. Smith as defensive coordinator from 1995-96. He spent one season on the staff at App State, as a DBs coach in 2001. After being an assistant at East Tennessee State, Bowling Green, Notre Dame and Washington, Wilks jumped to the NFL in 2006.
He served as the Carolina Panthers’ defensive backs coach from 2012-14, assistant head coach from 2015-16 and defensive coordinator in 2017. He returned in 2022 as defensive passing game coordinator and was interim head coach with the Panthers after Matt Rhule was fired. Wilks coached in the Super Bowl in 2023 as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.
He’s only been a college head coach for one season, in 1999, with Savannah State. That team went 5-6.
Scott Satterfield | Cincinnati head coach
Satterfield is another App State alum (wide receiver 1991-95) and successful member of the Mountaineers’ coaching tree. He served as an assistant in Boone from 1998-2008 and again in 2012 before taking over the head job from 2013-18.
Satterfield went 51-24, 38-10 in conference play as Appalachian State transitioned from FCS to the FBS Sun Belt in 2014 – the best years for the program since the back-to-back-to-back FCS title years under Moore from 2005-07.
Would Satterfield be interested in returning to his alma mater after an up-and-down stint at Louisville and an 8-16 record the past two seasons at Cincinnati? He likely would have to take a serious pay cut to return to Boone if there is mutual interest.
Mark Ivey | Louisville linebackers coach
There is no shortage of candidates with App State ties. Ivey played linebacker and on the defensive line for the Mountaineers from 1991-95. After stints as a high school coach in Florida, he joined the Appalachian State staff from 2012-2018, serving as interim head coach when Satterfield was hired by Louisville.
Ivey then joined Satterfield at Louisville in 2019 and remains on the staff under head coach Jeff Brohm. Ivey is 1-0 as a head coach, guiding App State to a dominating 45-13 bowl win over Middle Tennessee State at the end of the 2018 campaign before Eliah Drinkwitz took over in Boone.
Trey Lamb | East Tennessee State head coach
If Appalachian State chose to look to the FCS ranks, Lamb is a young up-and-comer who has been mentioned for multiple FBS openings this coaching carousel season, including Charlotte and East Carolina. Lamb coached Gardner-Webb to a pair of conference titles and FCS playoff berths in 2022-23 before taking over at East Tennessee State this season.
His 2024 ETSU squad went 7-5, losing at Appalachian State 38-10 in its opener.
Shawn Elliott | South Carolina Tight Ends Coach
A defensive end at Appalachian State from 1992-95, Elliott has coached in the Sun Belt before with Georgia State (2017-23). He compiled a 42-49 overall record with the Panthers, 4-1 in bowl games. Georgia State had five winning seasons under his command.
Elliott was part of Jerry Moore’s staff during the Mountaineers three-year FCS title run as an offensive line coach. He’s a native of South Carolina and served as an assistant with the Gamecocks from 2010-2016, including as interim head coach in 2015.
Willie Simmons | Duke Running Backs Coach
Simmons has had success everywhere he has been. He went 45-13 at Florida A&M, 34-5 in the SWAC, before leaving that job to come to Duke for this season. He also led Prairie View A&M to a 21-11 record from 2015-17.
Simmons served as an offensive assistant at Middle Tennessee from 2007-11. His name is currently been mentioned for the Florida International opening.
