After Kentucky hired Mark Stoops as its new head football coach, I compiled a list of 20 questions to help fans get to know him better. I just realized that everyone probably needs some insight into new offensive coordinator Neal Brown, so I’m back to help out again.
Question: Where did Neal Brown come from?
Answer: Neal Brown’s last coaching position was the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech University.
Question: Did he beat up Craig James kid along with Mike Leach?
Answer: No, he did not. Brown was actually the offensive coordinator at Troy when Leach was at TTU and did not arrive until Tommy Tuberville replaced Leach.
Question: Oh, so Brown was the guy that left all the Texas Tech recruits at the dinner table and split then, right?
Answer: No, that was Tommy Tuberville. This event occurred when Tuberville left Texas Tech for Cincinnati, not when Brown left for Kentucky.
Question: Ok. So what position does Brown play? He looks like a freshman.
Answer: Neal Brown is very young and will only be 33 next month, but he has used up his college eligibility and is a coach, not a player.
Question: Why do people say he is coming “Home” to Kentucky? I thought he played at UMass?
Answer: Brown is originally from Danville, KY and started his career at UK during the Hal Mumme/Mike Leach era before transferring to UMass.
Question: So Brown never coached under Leach?
Answer: No, not directly. He played for Leach at UK and coached under Tony Franklin, but not Mike Leach.
Question: So what kind of offense does Brown run?
Answer: Brown operates a variation of the Air-Raid offense, which heavily favors the passing game.
Question: Great, so are we gonna go back to the Mumme days of losing 75-60?
Answer: Ideally, no we will not. Mumme’s teams played very poor defensively and just attempted to outscore opponents. With Stoops (a defensive coach) at the helm as head coach, hopefully Kentucky can play better defense.
Question: Can he help the team rebound from Nerlens’ injury?
Answer: No, he is a football coach. Not everything in Kentucky is about basketball.
Question: You said Brown is from Danville, so is he the reason Lamar Dawson didn’t come to UK?
Answer: No. You have seriously got to let that go.
Question: Which quarterback fits Brown’s system best?
Answer: That’s tough to say. Whitlow brings a running threat but Smith’s accuracy could make him the favorite. Towles is definitely the curveball though as he brings a little bit of both to the table.
Question: So how did Brown go from UK’s linebackers coach to the offensive coordinator?
Answer: You’re thinking of Chuck Smith, who coached at Boyle County in Danville and then became UK’s linebackers coach. They’re different people from the same city.
Question: Oh, so that’s the guy who was at fault for us not getting Lamar Dawson, not Brown.
Answer: No, it wasn’t his fault either. Seriously, it’s time to move on from Dawson.
Question: So does Brown know Lamar Dawson?
Answer: I’m not answering that.
Question: Ok. So, is Brown a good recruiter?
Answer: Early returns would indicate that he is. I can honestly say that I have never known of the team’s past offensive coordinators to be so active on the recruiting trail.
Question: Texas Tech always talks about their “pistols.” Is Brown going to encourage our players to carry handguns?
Answer: I highly doubt it. When TTU fans refer to pistols, they are usually talking about imitating guns with their bare hands, in reference to their team name, the Red Raiders. Real guns are not involved.
Question: Speaking of red, Neal Brown is wearing the color red in almost every picture since 2008. Could he be a Louisville spy?
Answer: I would be very surprised if that was the case. A more likely explanation is that his last two coaching stops were at Texas Tech and Troy before that. Both schools’ primary colors are red.
Question: How fast is Brown?
Answer: Once again, I know he looks young, but he is NOT a player. He is a coach, so his speed is irrelevant.
Question: Will Brown have any other duties other than being the team’s OC?
Answer: Actually, yes he will. In addition to being the offensive coordinator, he will also be the team’s quarterbacks coach.
Question: So is Neal Brown a guy that should get me excited about UK football?
Answer: Absolutely. Brown was a hot candidate for head coaching positions this offseason and chose to make a lateral move to UK instead. His offense is proven, exciting, and high octane. He has charisma and a winning attitude and Kentucky probably could not have found a better coach for the job.