Troy Gets Youngest O C In 1 A Football

[MeanGreen61]

Off the muts board.

TROY FOOTBALL: Trojans make Brown youngest coordinator

By A. Stacy Long

Neal Brown's age is a regular part of the opening spiel in his stump speech.

The Troy Trojans added a line to it Friday, naming Brown their offensive coordinator and making the 27-year-old the youngest coordinator in NCAA Division I-A football.

Brown has assured audiences since he came to Troy two years ago that he was older than Troy's oldest player, just-departed senior receiver Gary Banks. Now, he'll be running the offense, too.

"I look young for my age as it is, so I always use that as a good starting point," Brown said. "I've been the youngest guy almost everywhere I've been.

"But look at the Boston Red Sox. If they can hire 27-year-old Theo Epstein to run their organization, I don't think it will be that big a deal for a 27-year-old to call ball plays at Troy."

Brown's promotion signals the Trojans aren't planning major changes to their spread offense, the Sun Belt's most prolific the last two seasons under Tony Franklin. Franklin left Troy last month for Auburn.

Brown was recruited by Franklin to Kentucky, where Brown played from 1998-2000. Brown, who finished his playing career at the University of Massachusetts and is a Red Sox fan, has been the inside receivers coach under Franklin at Troy the last two years.

"We're not going to try to reinvent the wheel," Brown said. "The system works, the players believe in it and the staff believes in it. It's been a good offense and it's going to continue to be good."

Troy finished 8-4 this season and fell one win shy of making a second straight New Orleans Bowl appearance. Florida Atlantic beat Troy in the regular-season finale to go to the bowl.

Brown and the Trojans will have to replace quarterback Omar Haugabook, the two-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, their top running back and their top receiver, Banks, 20 months Brown's junior.

"We have the talent at all those spots," Brown said. "We have guys who are going to be playmakers for us. Hopefully, we can continue what we did this year, but win one more game."

Brown, born March 11, 1980, is the youngest coordinator in Division I-A by 61/2 weeks over Marcus Arroyo, the co-offensive coordinator at San Jose State. Troy defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell, 34, ranks 10th on the list.

The Trojans also announced Friday the hiring of North Alabama offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield as their inside receivers coach and the promotion of Shayne Wasden to assistant head coach. Wasden will remain the outside receivers coach and special teams coordinator.

"I am excited about the coaching staff we have assembled," Blakeney said in a release. "We have a strong group of talented young coaches who combined the integrity, intensity and desire needed to lead our program forward into the coming seasons."

Brown said he was "thankful for the opportunity," but it won't be the most exciting thing to happen to him this offseason. Wife Brooke is expecting the couple's first child, a daughter, on Feb. 20. On Friday, the two mixed in a doctor's visit amongst his congratulatory phone calls.

"A lot of people ask, 'Are you nervous about the job?'" Brown said. "I tell them I'm nervous about a lot of things. Right now, the job is the least of them."

Edited January 5, 2008 by MeanGreen61