ITG 149 - Neal Brown Extended
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00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 In the Gun, episode 149,
00:08 and it's time for an instant reaction edition here of ITG
00:11 once again, as Neil Brown has signed a contract extension
00:16 announced by our guy, Ren Baker, earlier this afternoon.
00:19 What's going on, everybody?
00:20 You are In the Gun.
00:21 I'm Wesley Uler.
00:23 Somewhere on the side of the road in the mountain state
00:25 is the signal call of Jed Dredding.
00:27 I mean, Jed, this is how people know
00:29 it's the authentic instant reaction here,
00:31 because, I mean, if you're watching on YouTube,
00:34 you'll see Jed is clearly in his vehicle.
00:36 So where are you at?
00:37 Where have you pulled over here for 20 minutes
00:39 for us to have this conversation?
00:42 I'm in beautiful Upshur County, West Virginia,
00:45 going on weak Wi-Fi.
00:47 I pulled off along the road,
00:49 and I think back west to that line from "The Phantom Menace,"
00:52 that communication disruption can mean only one thing,
00:55 invasion.
00:56 Well, it can also mean a coaching extension, right?
00:58 Of your PR.
01:00 Something that is timely in this regard, certainly,
01:03 and that is a extension for Neil Brown.
01:06 Fresh off of that nine-win season last year,
01:09 his contract has been extended one additional year
01:12 for Neil Brown in the old golden blue.
01:15 That would take him through the 2027 season.
01:19 Now, Jed, sources have told Metro News
01:21 that the contract renewal will actually decrease
01:24 Neil Brown's annual salary over each of the next three years,
01:27 from 4.1 to 4 million in 2024,
01:32 and kind of similar 4.2 to 4 million 2025,
01:35 4.4 to 4.3 million in 2026,
01:38 and that Neil Brown is foregoing $400,000,
01:42 nearly half a million dollars,
01:44 and increases to his salary over the next three seasons
01:47 to invest more into the program,
01:49 including his coaching staff's salaries, sources say.
01:53 So before I turn this over to you
01:55 to tell us what this all means,
01:56 a thank you to our friends at BetOnline
01:58 for being a presenting sponsor of this episode of ITG,
02:02 where the game starts at betonline.us.
02:05 So Jed, I think originally when this came out,
02:08 when people just see the headline, Neil Brown extension,
02:11 they think, now wait a second,
02:13 we just had a season of getting this thing
02:15 back in the right direction.
02:17 Is this really the time to be giving
02:18 your head coach an extension?
02:20 Shouldn't you want him to go earn?
02:21 Like there was some of that initial,
02:22 like, wait a second, what reaction?
02:25 But I think when you look into some of the numbers,
02:26 just a one year extension, some of these Xs,
02:30 or I should say maybe semantics from a salary standpoint,
02:34 from a buyout standpoint as well too,
02:36 I think this makes a lot of sense for Neil.
02:38 I think this makes a lot of sense for Wren
02:40 in the athletic department.
02:41 So let's parse through this.
02:43 What's kind of the most important thing
02:45 for people to know here?
02:46 - The 400 grand is, that's something
02:50 that's a collective total, what you talked about
02:52 over the course of three years.
02:53 The contract initially was supposed to go through 26,
02:56 now it will go through 27, but it frees up
02:59 by Neil's choice, $400,000 to reinvest
03:03 in other things toward the program, like coaching salaries.
03:08 It almost has a feel, here's the vibe I got from it.
03:11 I know that Neil, first of all, values his staff,
03:17 values his assistants, values his crew.
03:20 And he's always trying to clamor for new ways
03:23 to generate more money for those things that he values
03:25 and those people that he values.
03:27 This almost had a vibe when I first started
03:30 to read through it and understand
03:32 when a quarterback in the NFL renegotiates the contract
03:35 for cap purposes to make the team more competitive.
03:39 It kind of had that vibe to it.
03:41 You're betting on yourself, you're willing to give up
03:45 a little money because you think in the long haul,
03:48 you're gonna have more success and that will be more money
03:51 for everybody at the end of the day.
03:52 But just a couple of weeks ago on this podcast,
03:55 we talked about the new deal for Lance Leipold of Kansas.
03:59 Lance Leipold's own salary went from almost six million
04:03 to over seven million, catapulting him up to number two
04:06 in the Big 12 behind only Mike Gundy.
04:09 Well, one of the first questions I had was,
04:12 what does this mean for his assistant salary pool?
04:15 Because we've already seen him lose Andy Kodwaniecki,
04:18 his long time and highly valued offensive coordinator
04:21 was with him all the way back to his D3 days.
04:24 Well, now Andy Kodwaniecki took a new job at Penn State.
04:27 Now bear in mind Wes, Andy Kodwaniecki was making
04:29 over a million dollars a year as the OC at Kansas.
04:33 So yes, it matters what a coach makes, of course it does.
04:38 That's the market.
04:39 But what also matters are what do those around him
04:43 that can pitch in and help you do the job
04:46 that needs to be done, what are they making?
04:49 And Neil Brown does in fact see the big picture.
04:51 He values his people, he wants his people taken care of.
04:55 And this is quite literally putting your money
04:57 where your mouth is.
04:58 I mean, I've heard people through the years,
05:00 a number of times, half jokingly out of the side
05:03 of their mouth suggest, well, maybe the coach
05:05 should make a little less and put it back into the program
05:07 if he wants this done or he wants that done.
05:09 This is the first time that I can remember
05:11 it actually happening.
05:12 The coach actually stepping up and saying,
05:15 all right, I will make less, I will take money
05:18 out of my own pocket if in fact that's what it takes
05:21 to get this program to where I believe it needs to be
05:23 and where I think it can go.
05:25 And so I think it's good news across the board.
05:28 I think it lends to stability, it speaks in the confidence
05:31 of what Neil sees is going on inside that building,
05:35 the future that he feels West Virginia football can have,
05:38 the future that Wren thinks West Virginia football can have.
05:40 And when you're out making the pitch on the recruiting trail
05:44 even in this age of the portal, it still matters,
05:46 the message and the narrative when you sit down
05:49 in a high school gymnasium somewhere to talk to a player,
05:52 that still matters what you're able to say.
05:54 What you're able to say now is, hey, this place matters
05:56 so much to me and what we got going on here.
05:59 I took money out of my own pocket to stay here
06:02 and keep this thing going, come be part of it.
06:04 And oh, by the way, I'm not here through just 26,
06:06 I guarantee it's now guaranteed through 27.
06:09 So the other thing that was impacted,
06:11 and here's the math that you and I were talking about,
06:15 both his buyout has been impacted by this.
06:19 And in addition to that, what he would owe,
06:21 if what will be owed to him, I should say,
06:25 if in fact he didn't make it through the life of the contract
06:27 both of those numbers were reduced as well.
06:30 But I think more so than anything,
06:31 it speaks to the fact coach Brown has confidence
06:35 and where this is going.
06:36 He wants to take care of those around him
06:38 who make that ride all the easier.
06:41 He gets that part of it.
06:43 It's a quality of life thing for a head coach.
06:46 I mean, now more than ever,
06:47 when you see this migration of college coaches
06:51 who are throwing their hands in the air and saying,
06:53 "No, Moss, I'm going to the NFL
06:54 "because it's so much more low maintenance.
06:56 "I can just coach football
06:57 "and the GM takes care of everything else."
06:59 Well, now you see a coach at the college level
07:03 giving up money out of his own pocket
07:05 because he sees value and wants to take care,
07:08 not just those on the staff around him,
07:10 but those in the support staff around him.
07:12 So I think it's a great message.
07:14 It's a great narrative.
07:15 And I think it's something Mountaineer fans
07:17 should be terribly excited about.
07:19 - Yeah, I think you're right.
07:20 Again, this is one of those,
07:22 I realize on the surface across the ticker,
07:24 you see Neil Brown extension
07:26 and it might blow you back for a second there,
07:29 but you're right.
07:30 When you get into a lot of this,
07:32 it makes a lot of sense for a lot of different reasons.
07:34 It makes sense from the university standpoint
07:37 to get that buyout down by any means possible.
07:40 Like that's just smart business.
07:42 We know particularly for a university like WVU
07:44 that is dealing with some shortfall
07:46 and some financial issues right now,
07:48 you want to kind of insulate yourself
07:51 for if there's a big unexpected drop this year, right?
07:55 The same time too, though, going forward,
07:57 it makes sense for Neil Brown
07:58 because the salary that he's giving up, Jed,
08:02 will help him keep that staff together,
08:04 maintain that staff, build that staff in the way he wants.
08:07 And then if he has success,
08:09 again, here going forward,
08:11 he's going to get that bigger time extension.
08:13 It's going to pay him that money
08:15 to get back to maybe where he should be.
08:18 And of course, as you said too,
08:20 like even though this is a new era of recruiting
08:22 and transfer portal and NIL,
08:25 it's still important for if you're meeting
08:27 with the head coach and you look at that coach's contract
08:30 and you're saying, I mean, coach,
08:31 right now you're only tied up with WVU
08:34 or you're only tied up with this program
08:36 through what would be my sophomore season.
08:38 It's a lot easier to say, hey,
08:40 my contract goes through 2027.
08:42 You sign on this piece of paper to become a Mountaineer.
08:45 I'm going to be here for your entire time
08:47 that you're on campus.
08:48 That still means something to these high school kids
08:51 and that still means something in these meetings.
08:53 Contract security, it's a lot easier to recruit
08:56 and to pitch and to be honest about it
08:58 when you have that time.
09:00 You're not coaching on a one or two year deal.
09:02 You're not saying, hey, I'm only tied up right now
09:05 through your sophomore season.
09:06 Neil Brown can honestly look at these kids
09:09 and say, my contract is for four more years.
09:11 That's as long as you're going to be here.
09:13 Let's go build this thing together.
09:15 And like I said, while this is a certainly, as you've said,
09:17 maybe college football 2.0 or 3.0
09:20 or whatever era we're in now,
09:22 there's still value in that.
09:25 There's still meaning to that.
09:27 - Continuity is always going to matter.
09:29 Staff continuity and otherwise, it's always going to matter.
09:32 And to your point, Wes, what Virginia has suffered through,
09:37 obviously it's been well documented,
09:38 the financial hardship in recent years, right?
09:41 So part of this is in fact,
09:43 being smart enough to read the room.
09:45 I'm sure that factors in as well.
09:47 And Neil has to be looking at this like,
09:49 look, I got a good job.
09:51 I'm pretty well taken care of.
09:53 I might be middle of the pack
09:54 from a Big 12 coaching salary standpoint,
09:57 but it's a good living in the state of West Virginia.
09:59 And if I have to give up a little bit
10:02 to make more in the longterm
10:03 because of the success that I think we can reach,
10:06 I'm willing to do that.
10:07 I'm willing to do that for a school
10:10 that has suffered financially in recent years.
10:12 I'm willing to do my part to pitch in
10:14 and make sure what needs done gets done.
10:17 And I think that that's part of it with him as well.
10:20 He sees a program and an opportunity
10:23 from the very day that he stepped on campus,
10:25 from the very day that he stepped up to that podium
10:27 and was announced as West Virginia's head coach,
10:29 he talked about the brand equity of West Virginia.
10:32 He talked about the passion of the fan base.
10:34 These are all things of value that Neil Brown recognizes
10:38 even more now, five years into it
10:40 than he did when he was first hired coming out of Troy.
10:43 So he thinks and recognizes and sees what can be done here.
10:48 If you dot your I's and cross your T's,
10:50 now that we've calibrated and oriented ourselves
10:54 to this new version of college football,
10:55 we were all ambushed by this.
10:58 This wasn't the job that Neil Brown was hired to do
11:01 when he came from Troy in 2019.
11:03 The game has fundamentally changed.
11:05 Almost everybody in the game was ambushed to some extent,
11:08 to some degree by it.
11:10 And it took a couple of years to recalibrate,
11:13 orient ourselves, put the trust together,
11:15 create some stable footing.
11:17 And that's where things are now
11:19 from a scouting standpoint, from a recruiting standpoint.
11:22 When you look across the building at all those departments,
11:26 he's satisfied with what's going on
11:28 on the offensive side of the football
11:29 with the staff that he has.
11:30 And you have names that he's very familiar with,
11:32 with Matt Moore and Chad Scott
11:34 that he goes way back with.
11:36 On the defensive side, he knows Jordan Leslie very well.
11:39 He's become very comfortable
11:41 with the staff populating that side.
11:42 So I don't blame him for looking around,
11:46 licking his finger and putting it in the air
11:47 and reading things and saying,
11:49 "Hey, I see what we can do here."
11:51 We can really, the passion of this fan base
11:54 can translate into a lot of success.
11:56 And I think we can continue with the headwinds
11:59 that we've had from a recruiting standpoint.
12:01 In the portal, I think we have some hidden gems
12:03 in this portal class.
12:04 The Mountaineer fans are gonna come to know and love.
12:06 And where we are from a building the roster standpoint,
12:10 I just think that we have some momentum going on
12:12 that he wants to continue to seize on
12:14 and make the most of it.
12:15 And if giving up $400,000 in the big picture
12:18 is what it's gonna take to get us where we wanna be,
12:21 I mean, he could stand back and easily say,
12:23 "Hey, what's mine's mine.
12:25 I don't wanna hear about WVU's hardship.
12:27 You owe me this much money through 2026."
12:29 - Signed a contract, right?
12:31 - Absolutely, he didn't do that.
12:32 He said, "You know what?
12:33 Let me work with you a little bit.
12:34 I wanna get some of the assistance.
12:36 I wanna reinvest the staff.
12:37 I wanna reinvest in the program.
12:38 Plus, I like the idea of being committed here
12:41 a little longer 'cause I like what we got going on."
12:43 So none of this had to happen.
12:45 It was very much by choice, by Neil's choice,
12:47 by Wren's choice.
12:48 And how many times has Wren said,
12:50 since he arrived on campus from North Texas,
12:52 he is omnipresent in the building.
12:55 I mean, I see Wren Baker all the time
12:57 when I'm around the team,
12:58 whether it's at practice, whether it's on the road,
13:01 whether it's at a home game, I see Wren all the time.
13:04 Wren's in the locker room, Wren studies,
13:06 and not much is lost on Wren Baker.
13:08 So he has evaluated every measure
13:11 and every corner of this program.
13:13 And that also has contributed to this end game
13:16 to where we now have this extension.
13:17 Wren Baker sees what's happening,
13:19 even as we were struggling down the stretch
13:21 or struggling in 2022 before we got some things
13:24 going down the stretch,
13:25 he saw what was happening in the building at large,
13:27 and he liked the direction things were going.
13:30 All it's gonna take is a break or two our way,
13:32 which we got last year, which is why five and six
13:35 turned into nine and four.
13:36 And that's kind of what Wren Baker's involvement has meant.
13:39 He's read the program,
13:40 he's evaluated the job that Neil's done,
13:43 and he saw enough value to offer this
13:45 and put it on the table as well.
13:47 - And one more thing to piggyback on that
13:49 as it relates to Wren Baker,
13:51 after I thank Toothman Ford and our guy JR
13:53 for also being a presenting sponsor of this breaking news,
13:57 instant reaction edition of ITG.
14:00 We all know cars cost less in graft
14:02 and make sure you're supporting those who support us
14:04 and support our student athletes.
14:06 Toothman Ford certainly at the top of that list.
14:08 Wren Baker right now too, Jed,
14:10 is in a knees deep, knee deep, balls deep, neck deep,
14:15 however we wanna describe it, coaching search
14:17 and evaluation of the men's basketball program.
14:20 He just finished one, right, with women's basketball
14:23 and Dawn Pulitzer and that entire surprise of her
14:26 leaving to Minnesota and having to make a hire there
14:29 that he nailed, by the way.
14:31 He's now trying to do the same thing with the men's team
14:33 and everything going on there.
14:35 This is something that, like, you also don't want too much
14:38 to be on your athletic director's plate.
14:39 You don't want him hiring a men's basketball coach
14:41 and then having to hire a men's, like,
14:43 these things take time,
14:44 these things take a lot of dedicated effort
14:48 and research and conversations and work.
14:52 I mean, it's just, make no mistake about it,
14:55 Wren is neck deep in work right now
14:58 to hire our next men's basketball head coach
15:01 and men's baseball head coach,
15:03 because remember, Randy Mazey is retiring
15:05 at the end of this season as well too.
15:07 You really want him trying to hire three head coaches
15:09 for three big programs at the same time.
15:13 I think this makes sense too to give Wren another year
15:15 to just kind of breathe and evaluate,
15:17 give Neil another year to prove that he's growing this thing.
15:20 And so for me, that kind of Wren Baker angle
15:24 makes a lot of sense, Jed.
15:25 Like, while we have all loved what Wren has done so far,
15:29 like, an athletic director is also like a waiter, right?
15:31 And like, he can only balance so many plates
15:34 at the same time.
15:35 You don't want him holding on
15:37 and trying to do too much at once.
15:38 - Yeah, that's true.
15:41 That's a great point on your part.
15:43 It's something that a lot of people won't be considering.
15:46 And yeah, the evaluation of the process
15:49 and the legwork that goes in to hiring a coach
15:52 in one of your major sports.
15:54 - It's insane. - Absolutely.
15:56 I mean, there's only so many hours in the day.
16:00 And to stop and consider the shift in this narrative
16:04 from, you know, a year ago, Neil Brown's on the hot seat.
16:09 How many does it take for Neil Brown?
16:10 First of all, I hate playing the numbers game.
16:11 - I know, 'cause you have to win eight.
16:12 Does he have to win nine?
16:13 Does he have to?
16:14 - You know, yeah, I hate playing the numbers game.
16:17 Are you doing a quality job, as D'Ero pointed out?
16:20 And are those in position of authority
16:22 who make such decisions like Wren Baker
16:24 convinced D'Ero is moving up?
16:26 Wren Baker obviously was and is.
16:28 That's what matters to me.
16:30 And when you think about the shift in narrative
16:32 from where it was early last year,
16:35 where it was when we were four and one,
16:36 wait, where'd this come from?
16:38 Wow, we're the darlings of the Big 12 all of a sudden.
16:41 To the way that we've finished,
16:42 now all of a sudden we have a team that's nine and four
16:45 with so many key parts coming back.
16:47 There's a little bit of buzz surrounding it.
16:49 We like the fact that we're still not getting much love
16:52 from the Big 12 media outside of West Virginia.
16:54 That's very appealing to us
16:56 because you wanna have that hard edge and that fuel.
16:58 So to go from where we were early last year
17:02 to talk of an extension today.
17:04 And you know what?
17:05 Not even a conventional extension.
17:07 This is the exact type of conversation you want.
17:10 It's one thing to have a conversation like you have
17:13 taking place in Lawrence, Kansas,
17:15 where you're saying,
17:16 hey, we're gonna pay our guy $7 million a year.
17:18 He's the second highest paid guy in the league.
17:21 We have 400 plus million dollars
17:22 in the athletic department.
17:23 This is where we're going.
17:25 And it's another thing to say,
17:26 all right, yes, we're extending our coach,
17:29 but we recognize the realities
17:31 that currently exist within West Virginia.
17:33 The university has had some financial strife.
17:36 They've dealt with some hardship.
17:37 He wants to retain the critical pieces around him
17:40 so much so that he is willing
17:42 to put his own skin in the game,
17:44 take money out of his pocket to retain those key pieces.
17:48 This is a better story, if you ask me.
17:50 We'll get back to the point
17:52 where we're winning and generating money.
17:54 That will happen again.
17:56 But right now, that's just for a host of reasons.
17:59 It's kind of a different animal
18:00 than what it's been in the past.
18:01 It's kind of a different animal
18:02 than right now what it is at Kansas to some extent.
18:05 But from a financial standpoint.
18:07 But I think it makes for a great story.
18:10 It's a compelling narrative.
18:11 It really says that your coach is all in on what he's doing
18:16 and believes in the direction that things are heading.
18:18 And it really says that your athletic director
18:20 believes in the direction that things are heading.
18:23 And right now, sitting here in the first week in March,
18:25 what more could you possibly ask for
18:28 if you're a West Virginia fan
18:30 than a head coach and an AD
18:32 who have more to lose than anybody around,
18:35 both have now proven that they truly believe
18:38 in the direction this thing's going.
18:40 Neil Brown today put his money where his mouth is
18:43 to show you that yes, he's not just saying he believes it.
18:46 This means he believes it.
18:48 - 100%.
18:49 And one more thing on that,
18:51 after I thank Fortis and our friend Rick Lewis.
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19:04 One more thing with that too, Jed,
19:06 in terms of putting your money where your mouth is,
19:09 for Neil Brown too, right?
19:11 Under his previous contract,
19:13 if he were to leave for another job,
19:15 he would have to pay 25% of his remaining salary
19:18 back to WVU.
19:20 Now it's 10% under this new agreement.
19:22 So that also means for Neil,
19:24 let's go down the dream season path here, right?
19:28 WVU goes 11 and one, 10 and two, something like that.
19:31 Wins the big 12 championship,
19:33 goes to the college football playoff,
19:34 makes a little bit of noise.
19:36 And let's say, who's a big time, I'm trying,
19:39 someone like, right?
19:40 Seems like Billy Napier in Florida, that whole thing.
19:43 There's some cantankerous, why is this?
19:45 Say it blows up a Billy Napier in Florida,
19:48 their schedule's insanely difficult too,
19:49 if you haven't seen it.
19:51 Florida fires Billy Napier, WVU has this dream season,
19:54 and the Gators go to rent, to Neil Brown
19:57 and make them an offer he can't refuse.
19:58 I mean, they're gonna pay him seven, $8 million
20:01 or something to move his talents down to Gainesville.
20:04 He all of a sudden gets to keep more of that money
20:05 as well too, as opposed to having to pay it back.
20:08 So I think from everybody's standpoint,
20:11 it is, Jed, this is I think the final way to say it.
20:14 Like it's the right risk reward balance at the right time,
20:18 I think for both Neil Brown and for Ren Baker.
20:21 And that's a good place to be.
20:23 - It is a good place to be.
20:25 Let's, and let's close with this.
20:27 Let's rehash what's played out with the buyout
20:31 and if things go the other direction.
20:33 And this is from the Metro News article.
20:35 I'm reading directly.
20:37 Brown previously worked under a buyout
20:39 that would have required West Virginia
20:41 a percent of his remaining salary
20:42 had he been fired on or before the last day of 2024,
20:46 and 85% if he had been fired in 2025.
20:49 Under the new deal,
20:51 Brown is paid 75% of his remaining salary
20:54 if he's fired at any point during the length of the contract.
20:56 So take that in terms of,
20:58 okay, let's ballpark it at $400,000, okay?
21:01 He was, let's skip ahead to the second part
21:06 and then we'll have our conversation
21:06 to make it easier for clarity's sake.
21:08 If Brown leaves for another job at any point
21:10 under the rebound contract,
21:12 he's to pay 10% of his remaining total salary.
21:14 Previously, as you talked about, that was higher.
21:17 So let's say he gets fired, okay?
21:19 Things go completely south, things go off the rails.
21:22 - Yeah, you go four and eight this year.
21:25 - Here's how certain he is that's not going to happen.
21:29 All right?
21:29 Before he was owed 100% and then 85%.
21:33 Now it's down to 75%.
21:35 In that West, you're talking an additional 10%
21:38 on a $40 million contract.
21:40 - That's a lot of money.
21:41 - I mean, that's adding up when it's outstanding money
21:43 that he would otherwise be owed.
21:45 He's willing, I mean, he's sitting here saying,
21:47 that's not gonna happen.
21:48 I know that's not gonna happen
21:49 because of where things are heading.
21:50 I'm on very solid ground.
21:51 The ground's only gonna get better
21:53 because we're gonna win more
21:54 and the arrow will continue to point up.
21:56 I don't have to worry about that.
21:57 Those are just numbers 'cause it's not gonna happen.
22:00 I mean, that speaks to the confidence
22:01 in this whole equation as well.
22:03 I like both ends of that.
22:04 You talked about it from the,
22:05 what if Florida comes after him?
22:07 And I talked about it, what if it goes south?
22:09 Well, Neil obviously doesn't see it going south.
22:11 - Right, right.
22:12 - And he's willing to bet on himself
22:14 if the Florida scenario or whatever else does unfold.
22:17 So again, no matter how you look at this,
22:19 it took supreme confidence for Neil Brown
22:22 to step up to the plate and do this.
22:25 But more so than anything,
22:27 a big part of what influenced this,
22:30 there's no doubt in my mind,
22:32 is if you're around Neil at all,
22:33 you understand and appreciate
22:35 what those who matter to him mean to him.
22:39 And staff members, that's his family.
22:41 He wants taking care of good people
22:43 who do good work for him.
22:45 And this is his opportunity to do it
22:47 in a way that to some extent is unprecedented.
22:50 I don't recall a coach doing this.
22:52 I don't recall a coach doing this.
22:54 Like I said, it has that vibe of NFL quarterbacks
22:57 restructuring their deal to help free up cap space
23:02 to be more competitive. - That's a good example, yeah.
23:04 - That's what it feels like.
23:06 And when quarterbacks do that,
23:07 they're only doing that
23:08 because they're betting on themselves.
23:10 So at least to some extent.
23:12 - And Jed, when you bet on yourself and it works out,
23:15 quite often you make up that money on the back end anyway.
23:18 So let's all hope that's the case here, certainly.
23:22 And yeah, I tell you what,
23:24 a substantial, like this isn't some seismic day
23:28 for the program or anything,
23:29 but certainly a substantial decision by both parties,
23:33 one that you and I wanted to take some time here with you
23:36 on the side of the road or in a parking lot,
23:38 safely in your car.
23:41 And you said Upshur County, correct,
23:43 is where you are right now?
23:44 - Yeah, I'm in Buckhannon.
23:45 - Okay. - I sure am.
23:46 - Ah. - I'm in Buckhannon.
23:48 - Might have some family not too far from that area.
23:51 A final thank you to our friends at Johnston Equipment,
23:55 hopping on board with us here for a couple months now.
23:57 Make sure you're checking out their new location
24:00 right off of Route 33 in Weston.
24:02 Jed, great stuff, partner.
24:04 Great breakdown as always.
24:05 And stay safe there today as you're rolling around.
24:08 - Will do, appreciate it.
24:11 - Oh, that'll do it for this edition of ITG.
24:15 The one thing we ask of you
24:16 is to be an ear and tell an ear
24:18 about your new favorite WVU football podcast.
24:21 For our producers, Skylar Callahan
24:22 and the beer truck, Owen Schmidt.
24:24 He's Jed Jenning, the signal caller.
24:26 I'm Wesley Uler.
24:27 Take care, everybody.
24:28 We'll talk to you soon.
24:29 You've been in the gun.
24:31 (door opening)
24:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]