North Texas finalizing deal to make Neal Brown next head coach

North Texas is finalizing a deal to make Neal Brown the next head coach, sources tell On3’s Chris Low. Brown was previously the West Virginia head coach and was an analyst on Texas’ staff this season.

Brown went 37-35 in six seasons at West Virginia. He compiled a 25-28 mark in Big 12 conference play.

However, West Virginia opted to part ways with Brown after he was unable to follow up a nine-win season in 2023 with further momentum. He was fired after a 6-6 campaign in 2024.

Following his stint as West Virginia’s head coach, Neal Brown took a job as a special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian at Texas. He was a coveted coach this offseason.

While at Texas, Brown was credited with helping the development of promising young quarterback Arch Manning. Texas spoke to the desire to get him involved in that relationship early on.

“Neal has been an awesome addition,” Sarkisian said this spring. “When you can have an extra set of head coach eyes, it’s always helpful because they’re always looking for the things that, from a head coach’s perspective, are important to you. You can’t see it all the time, and he’s done a great job with that.”

Neal Brown provided advice to Manning like encouraging him to sit with every position group during team meals in the spring, as well as working on rallying the team behind him. He worked across the offense to help smooth the transition Manning would face.

“He’s done a great job working with the offense and learning our offense, but at the same time, we’re getting things from him schematically, from a practice standpoint, and especially from a leadership standpoint,” Sarkisian said about Neal Brown. “He’s been around it. He’s done it at a high level. I’ve got a ton of respect for Neal. That’s why he’s here.”