How Troy plans to capitalize on LSU win, handle schools interested in Neal Brown

Troy athletic director Jeremy McClain has already faced people sheepishly asking him about it.

As Troy basks in the afterglow of stunning LSU in Baton Rouge, McClain knows he'll have to deal with football coach Neal Brown's rising status as one of the country's top young coaches. Brown, 37, was already a name getting attention following a 10-win 2016 season but the road win over the Tigers has propelled him to another level. It's a good bet athletic programs with bigger bank accounts than Troy will make a run at Brown in the near future.  Ole Miss would make a lot of sense, for one.

McClain knows Brown is going to be mentioned for other jobs because he's "done a fantastic job" at Troy. It's the reality of the situation though the Troy athletic director offers a positive spin.

"There are only a handful of programs in the country who don't have to deal with that if they're successful," he says. "We know who the top 5-10 programs in the country, if they are ultra-successful, they don't have to worry about their coach being hired by someone else or pursued by other people. But it's a whole lot better than the alternative, and that's where I stand."

Brown received a four-year contract extension this past spring that reportedly made him the second-highest paid coach in the Sun Belt behind Louisiana-Lafayette's Mark Hudspeth. In his third season at Troy, Brown is 18-12 and looks well on his way to guiding the Trojans to another 10 win or better season. If the bright offensive mind keeps Troy at this current pace, other schools could offer him double or even triple his current salary to leave.

McClain, citing a strong, open relationship with his head coach, isn't overly concerned right now. He and Brown have had frank discussions in the past and will again in the future when necessary.

"It's not something we worry about on a week-to-week basis," McClain says. "He and I have a strong enough relationship if it's time for us to have those conversation, we'll have them. There is a time to address those things and we are definitely in tune with that."

What McClain is focused on right now is capitalizing on one of the biggest football wins in program history. Not only did Troy earn nearly $1 million for playing LSU - a necessity for Group of Five schools - it became an overnight national sensation after it knocked off Ed Orgeron's squad. Even McClain admits he can't put a dollar figure on all the national exposure for Troy, a school nestled away from the major media markets in Alabama, including considerable attention on ESPN's "SportsCenter." The school located in the second-smallest city, population wise, of any FBS football program was the biggest story in college football.

The national attention of beating LSU on the road shines a light on what those in Alabama already know: This is a football program on the rise. Last year, Troy went toe-to-toe with eventual national champion Clemson on the road before falling 30-24. As Brown pointed out in his weekly press conference Monday, this wasn't a fluke.

"We didn't run one trick play, we ran zero gimmicks on offense, defense or special teams," Brown said. "We played 'big boy' football. We ran the ball, played great defense and were solid on special teams."

While billed as a program-defining victory, McClain hopes what happened Saturday night in Louisiana is just a piece of a bigger puzzle.

"We want to be recognized as one of the top programs in the Group of Five," he says. "That's our objective. When that conversation comes up, we want to be part of the conversation. My job is to make sure we maximize or marketing and exposure opportunities and drive the narrative of us being a top tier Group of Five program."

John Talty is the college sports editor for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JTalty.

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