West Virginia football has fired its defensive coordinator, per ESPN. Jordan Lesley is out at WVU after fielding one of the worst pass defenses in the country this season.

Lesley served as defensive coordinator for the Mountaineers since the 2020 season. He came to West Virginia in 2019, when head coach Neal Brown got the job. The Mountaineers are 4-4 this season and the defense has struggled to stop the pass.

“I met with Coach Lesley this morning and informed him that we are making a change at the defensive coordinator position. I'm very thankful for the investment Jordan and his family have made in West Virginia football,” West Virginia coach Brown said in a statement. “Jordan has been a key part of my staff for almost a decade. He is a good football coach and a great man. I know he will have much success moving forward, and we will do everything we can to help him on that journey.”

West Virginia is 113th in the country this season in passing yards allowed per game, per NCAA stats. The Mountaineers are allowing more than 260 passing yards a contest.

In its most recent game, the Mountaineers gave up 308 passing yards in a close 31-26 victory over Arizona.

West Virginia football has underachieved this year

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown calls for a two point conversion after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
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West Virginia football entered the season with high expectations to compete for a Big 12 championship, after winning nine games in 2023. The season started off on the wrong foot, when the team got blown out by Penn State at home.

The defense has struggled all season, and it has led to losses. West Virginia blew a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter to lose at Pittsburgh. The team lost back-to-back home games to Iowa State and Kansas State by a combined 39 points. That's led to Mountaineers fans demanding a coaching change, and it seems that West Virginia coach Brown responded to those demands.

With Lesley out, West Virginia football assistant Jeff Koonz is expected to take over defensive coordinator duties. Koonz was coaching the inside linebackers and acting as special teams coordinator. He will have a tall task in his new role; West Virginia has the third-worst scoring defense in the Big 12.

The Big 12 conference is wide open this season, as Texas and Oklahoma have left the league. While West Virginia hasn't won a lot of games so far this campaign, the squad isn't out of the running quite yet. West Virginia must win out to make the conference title game, but it also needs help. At time of writing, BYU and Iowa State are still undefeated and look to head to the title game.

West Virginia's next game is against the Cincinnati Bearcats on November 9. The Mountaineers hold a 3-2 conference record and sit in seventh place in the Big 12.