As North Texas gears up for what could be a historic run at the College Football Playoff, the program is also locking in its future. The Mean Green are reportedly finalizing a deal to make Neal Brown their next head coach - a move that signals both ambition and a return to proven leadership.
Brown, 45, spent this past season at Texas, serving as a special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian. While that role kept him behind the scenes, it gave him a front-row seat to the inner workings of a top-tier program - something that could pay dividends as he takes over in Denton.
But Brown’s coaching résumé goes far deeper than one year in Austin. He first made waves at Troy from 2015 to 2018, where he turned the Trojans into a Group of Five powerhouse.
That 2016 squad won 10 games and nearly pulled off a major upset against eventual national champion Clemson. The following year, they did one better - going into Baton Rouge and stunning LSU.
Those kinds of wins don’t just happen; they’re the result of a coach who knows how to build a team that believes it belongs on any field, against any opponent.
That success earned him the West Virginia job, where he led the Mountaineers from 2019 through 2024. Over six seasons, Brown notched 37 wins.
While he never managed to break into the AP Top 25 or fully match the highs of his predecessor, Dana Holgorsen, his teams were consistently competitive in a tough Big 12 landscape. That kind of experience - navigating the week-to-week grind of a Power Five schedule - is invaluable for a program like North Texas, which is on the cusp of breaking through nationally.
Brown will take over for Eric Morris, who is set to leave for Oklahoma State after the season. Morris helped elevate the Mean Green into serious contenders, and now Brown steps in with the goal of not just maintaining that momentum, but building on it.
And the timing couldn’t be more critical. North Texas is preparing to face Tulane this Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game - a matchup with major College Football Playoff implications.
Win, and the Mean Green could punch their ticket to the CFP. Lose, and the season still stands as one of the best in program history.
Interestingly, Tulane is also in the midst of a coaching transition, with Jon Sumrall having recently accepted the Florida job. So Saturday’s title game won’t just be about who wins the conference - it’s also a glimpse into the future for both programs, each looking to solidify its identity in a rapidly evolving college football landscape.
For North Texas, the hire of Neal Brown is a clear statement: this is a program that’s not just content with being good - it wants to be great. And with the College Football Playoff within reach, there may be no better time to take that next step.