According to MetroNews, Athletics director Shane Lyons found West Virginia’s football team “re-energized” by Sunday night’s 45-minute meeting with new coach Neal Brown, including some players who lobbied for the promotion of current Mountaineers defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.

 

Appearing Monday on MetroNews “Talkline,” Lyons credited Brown’s emphasis to the team that “now is the time that they start building trust among each other.” With Troy defensive coordinator Vic Koenning expected to join WVU in the same capacity, players loyal to Gibson were heard.

 

“I told them that their best interest was always kept in the forefront of hiring a coach,” Lyons said.

 

Gibson’s fate remains uncertain with a year remaining on a contract that would pay him $950,000 next season. While discussing with Brown the possibility of retaining some assistants, Lyons favored the new head coach having autonomy to choose his own staff.

 

“You build relationships with great men, but a new coach comes in with a lot of new ideas and his guys that he wants to surround himself with,” Lyons said. “We did talk about the continuity part of it — that it may be good to look at a couple of the guys — but by no means have I handcuffed him. He has to do that evaluation of his staff himself.”

 

Despite some boosters backing Rich Rodriguez, Lyons refuted media reports the former West Virginia coach was a serious candidate.

 

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Editor's Note: Photo of Shane Lyons Courtesy of WVU Sports Communications; photo by Brian Persinger.