Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown will be the next head coach of the Troy Trojans. The school made the announcement official today via Twitter with a message letting fans know when he is expected to arrive in town. A formal announcement and introductory press conference is scheduled for Monday morning. Word of Troy hiring Brown began surfacing yesterday.
Brown has been coaching as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator for two seasons. Prior to his stint at Kentucky, Brown was an offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Troy from 2008 through 2009. He had coached wide receivers for two years before that at Troy. His familiarity with the program and the success it is capable of reaching surely made him an attractive candidate for the job. His offensive mindset will be needed. Troy is 101st in total offense this season (64th in rushing offense, 90th passing). Brown will replace Larry Blakeney, who announced in October he would be stepping down as head coach at Troy at the conclusion of the regular season.
Brown will take over a program that is now a few years removed from its usual spot at the top of the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans were accustomed to winning eight games and win at least a share of the Sun Belt crown from 2006 through 2010, but the program quickly lost momentum in 2011 with a three-win season. Troy has not had a winning season since last winning the Sun Belt in 2010, although the Trojans did manage a .500 season without a bowl trip in 2013.
Brown could also be taking over the program at an interesting point in time within the state of Alabama. With speculation about a possible shutting down of the UAB football program, Troy could benefit from the unfortunate situation by attracting a few more football players in their direction. South Alabama now being in the Sun Belt Conference, could also stand to benefit from the situation if it comes to UAB shutting down the program.