The Big Lead

Breaking down the best and worst candidates to replace Dave Clawson at Wake Forest

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 23, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons head coach Dave Clawson looks on against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons head coach Dave Clawson looks on against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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NEAL BROWN

Former West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is not a name Demon Deacon fans will be terribly excited by.
Sep 21, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown walks along the sidelines during the second quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Brown had a track record of success at program building prior to his stop at West Virginia; in four years at Troy, he won 10 or more games three times.

But the shine came off the resume in Morgantown; Brown struggled to build the Mountaineers into a winning program, and drew the ire of a fan base eager to return to past glory. He finished above .500 just twice, going 6-4 in 2020, and 9-4 in 2023. Outside of that, it was five or six wins, year in and year out for Brown in Morgantown.

Maybe he was just a bad fit at West Virginia, but if I'm a Wake Forest fan, this is a name I'd have a tough time getting excited about hiring. He failed to build the Mountaineers into anything resembling a competitive Big 12 program in five seasons, and there's no reason to think he'd have more success in Winston-Salem. If you're trying to motivate your fan base to boost your NIL to improve your program, Brown is a tough sell.

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