Neal Brown put it best on Twitter just minutes before the news was officially announced.
Coming Home!
— Neal Brown (@UKCoachBrown) December 10, 2012
On Monday afternoon, Mark Stoops named Brown his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, meaning the Kentucky native and former Wildcat wide receiver would be getting his homecoming.”Neal is a young, hungry, dynamic coach who has had a lot of success in the Big 12 (Conference),” Stoops said. “I want a style of offense that puts defenses in difficult situations. Also important to me was Neal’s familiarity with the people of Kentucky and the University. When you put together the football and the relationships, it was a no-brainer.”That Big 12 success came over the last three seasons at Texas Tech, where Brown served as offensive coordinator. Each year, the Red Raiders ranked in the nation’s top 10 in passing offense, top 15 in total offense and top 25 in scoring offense. With a bowl game still to play, Texas Tech is second nationally in passing at 361.9 yards per game, 12th in total offense at 501.4 yards per game and 16th in scoring with 37.8 points per game.Clearly, Stoops is planning on following through on the promise he made at his introductory press conference to field an offense that will “rip it around a little bit.”That’s not to say, however, that Brown ignores the running game altogether. In 2009 – the season before Brown arrived – Texas Tech averaged just 84.0 rushing yards per game. In the three seasons since, the Red Raiders have gained at least 125.2 yards per game on the ground.If the statistics weren’t enough to sell Stoops, legendary UK quarterback Tim Couch was more than willing to speak on behalf of his former teammate.”He’s one of the hottest young offensive coordinators in the country right now,” Couch said on the day Stoops was hired. “I think he has the second-rated pass offense in the country at Texas Tech and he does a great job. So, you know, certainly if that’s the route (Stoops) wants to go, I would fully support that and I know everyone in Kentucky would as well.”Based on the initial reaction to the news, Couch was right about that. Within an hour of being officially hired, Brown picked up more than 1,000 followers on Twitter. Brown didn’t need social media to get himself fired about returning to Lexington though. “I’m excited about the opportunity to come home to the University that I grew up rooting for, and having played here, have a true personal investment in the program,” Brown said. “Coach Stoops sold me on the job. I’m excited about his plan. He has a great vision about where he wants to take the program and how he wants to do it.”With the arrival of Brown on Monday and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot last week, that vision is becoming clearer by the second.
