The search for a new head coach for West Virginia continues.
On Tuesday, WVU vice president and athletic director Wren Baker discussed some logistics surrounding the coaching search but said he doesn’t have a set timeline of when a hiring will occur. On Sunday, we released seven potential candidates to replace Neal Brown; with the search ongoing and having the possibility to be far and wide, here are five more potential candidates.
Dan Mullen
The former Mississippi State and Florida head coach is now working for ABC and ESPN as an analyst. Mullen has a career record of 103-61. At Mississippi State, he had the Bulldogs ranked as high as No. 1 in the AP Poll. He was fired from Florida in 2021 after going 5-6, despite being 34-15 with the Gators overall. Mullen has been out of coaching for three seasons now. Would the 52-year-old be willing to leave TV for the West Virginia job?
Jamey Chadwell
After struggling in 2017 and 2019, Chadwell has simply won. Under him, Coastal Carolina had back-to-back seasons of 11 wins in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, he was named AP Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year, and Sunbelt Coach of the Year. After a 9-3 season with the Chanticleers in 2022, Chadwell was hired by Liberty where he made a splash in 2023. The Flames were one of four undefeated teams entering bowl season, where they ultimately lost in the Fiesta Bowl. While they haven’t quite replicated last year’s success, they still had a solid 8-3 record and will be going bowling. So, with his recent success, Chadwell may very well be considered a serious candidate for the job.
Jon Sumrall
Sumrall was hired by Tulane just last year and has them competing for a conference championship this season. The Green Wave is 9-3 this season and was ranked as high as No. 18 in the AP Poll. Before Tulane, Sumrall was at Troy, where he helped the Trojans to a 12-2 record in 2022 and an 11-2 record in 2023. Sumrall was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2022. Can Sumrall jump ship again and be considered by the Mountaineers?
Jake Dickert
Washington State has surprised some people this year under Dickert. They’ve been ranked as No. 19 in the AP Poll and finished the regular season 8-4. Before being named their head coach, Dickert was the Cougars’ defensive coordinator. While he hasn’t been uber-successful since taking over Washington State’s program, Dickert’s career seems to be trending in the right direction. Is that enough for the 41-year-old to be considered a serious candidate for the recent opening?
Anthony Becht
Okay, this one is a bit of a stretch. Yes, he played for West Virginia and is a recent WVU sports hall of fame inductee; yes, he made it to the league, and yes, he coaches a professional team, but does that mean he should be strongly considered for the job? Becht has said that he’d be open to coaching for his alma. Currently, the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks coach, Becht has never coached college. One thing that would be interesting with a Becht hire is his son, Rocco, currently Iowa State’s quarterback who lit it up this past season. While I don’t think it’ll be Becht, can he still be considered a ‘potential candidate’? Sure.
