MORGANTOWN — Minnesota offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Ciarrocca has been contacted in regards a position on Neal Brown’s coaching staff, a West Virginia team source confirmed. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Ciarrocca has yet to make a decision on whether he will make the move.
Ciarrocca and Brown worked together at Delaware in 2005. Ciarrocca was actually Brown’s superior at that stop, serving as the Blue Hens offensive coordinator while Brown coached the wide receivers.
The move would be somewhat of a coup for Brown considering that Ciarrocca has served as P.J. Fleck’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2013. Ciarrocca made $710,000 this year. Outgoing West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital was paid $501,000 a year.
Ciarrocca followed Fleck from Western Michigan to Minnesota prior to the 2017 season. The Golden Gophers were eighth in the Big Ten in scoring this season after finishing 12th the previous year. They also moved up from 12th to ninth in total offense, improving by an average of 70 yards per game.
Ciarrocca’s 2016 offense at Western Michigan ranked ninth nationally in scoring and 16th in yards per play.
Brown called his own offense at Troy, but Ciarrocca fulfilled those duties for Fleck.
Even before Dana Holgorsen left for Houston, West Virginia was in the market for a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator when Spavital was hired to be Texas State’s new head coach in December.
Ciarrocca would also fill a need on Brown’s staff for an assistant coach with East Coast recruiting connections. He is a native of York County, Pa. who has coached at Temple, Penn, Princeton and Rutgers in addition to Delaware.
Brown will be formally introduced as West Virginia’s 35th head coach on Thursday morning following this week’s American Football Coaches Association convention in Texas.
