WVU's Neal Brown praises new OC Graham Harrell

[Coach Andy Mac]

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We talked, and I think it’s a great fit,” said Brown. “His playing career speaks for itself. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and an All-American. He played in the NFL and was a backup to Aaron Rodgers. He was a coordinator at North Texas for a very good friend of mine in Seth Littrell. Then he went out to the bright lights at USC and still was very productive. It was a great opportunity to bring in someone who could not only make us better on offense and give us a chance to win, but also somebody who is a proven developer of quarterbacks and a recruiter of elite quarterbacks.”

Perhaps what impressed Brown most was Harrell’s ability to adjust his offensive approach for different personnel and different leagues. Playing under Leach, where running the football was almost an afterthought, most consider Harrell an “Air Raid” coach, and some of his offenses have had that look. But his attack at North Texas, Brown explained, was a balanced attack that used tight ends and ran the football effectively. At USC, he had elite receivers who made big plays in the passing game, and this past season he went back to some more traditional concepts, playing with two tight ends much of the time.

“He did a really good job at being simple in the run game but being effective,” said Brown. “Especially at North Texas, they did a really good job at getting explosive plays. That’s something that we’ve got to be more proficient at.”