Neal Brown’s life-changing decision came somewhere on the 5-hour bus ride between Lexington, Kentucky, and Wheeling, West Virginia, in early 2003.

Back then, the recently graduated UMass wide receiver had just finished the season for the Lexington Horsemen of the National Indoor Football League.

Before the Horsemen’s playoff game with the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, UMass coach Mark Whipple had offered Brown a job.

After Lexington’s loss, Brown spent the ride home deciding whether or not to take the offer.

By the time the team pulled into Rupp Arena, their home base, Brown had decided to become a football coach.

“I knew my playing career wasn’t going anywhere, but I was putting off the real world as long as possible,” said Brown, who is now the head coach of Troy and will face UMass Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Graduate assistant gigs are tough with long hours and low pay, but it was a natural fit for Brown, whose father, uncle and grandfather all coached high school football in Kentucky.

Brown spent just one year with Whipple, who was hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach after the 2003 season.

“He was really smart. He loved the game, did things the right way,” Whipple said. “He did a good job in school, was a great guy to coach.”

Brown went to Sacred Heart when then-UMass special teams coordinator Paul Gorham became the head coach.

Gorham, who is now UMass’ director of football operations, increased his responsibilities quickly. Brown was the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach, making him a vital part of creating Sacred Heart’s offensive game plans.

“Paul Gorham gave me a lot of responsibility at an extremely young age and I grew more in that year with him than I have at any point during my professional career,” Brown said. “I think the world of him. He’s a great coach and tremendous human being. I look forward to seeing him.”

Gorham recognized something in Brown right away.

“He was mature beyond his years. His football acumen was good. He wasn’t intimidated even though he was only a year or two older than the kids he was coaching,” Gorham said. “I knew he’d be good. I didn’t know he’d be one of the youngest Division I head coaches in the country.”

Brown continued his speedy ladder climb when he left Sacred Heart after one year. He was Delaware’s receivers coach for a season before he landed at Troy, where he spent two years coaching wide receivers. In 2008, Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator and at 27 years old, he was the youngest coordinator in the FBS.

During that stint, he began honing his signature offense, which has been nicknamed the “NASCAR spread” for the speed it runs at. His 2009 team was third in the nation with 485.7 yards per game.

He was a sought-after coordinator, bouncing to Texas Tech (2010-12) and then to Kentucky (2013-14), where he played for two seasons before transferring to UMass.

The Minutemen actually interviewed Brown to be their head coach twice, but passed in favor of Kevin Morris (2009) and Charley Molnar (2012).

Three years later, Brown got his shot when Troy hired him in 2015.

“It’s a lot about who you know in this profession,” said Brown, still among the nation’s youngest coaches at 36. “I’ve had some good breaks and have been fortunate to be around some really good people.”

The Trojans, who had three losing seasons in the four years before he arrived, were 4-8 in 2015, his first season. But Troy is already bowl eligible at 6-1 and is in first place in the Sun Belt at 4-0.

It’s the de facto No. 29 team in the nation, coming in fourth in The Associated Press Top 25’s also receiving votes section.

“I’m not sure how good we are, but we’re off to a good start,” Brown said.

Whipple has kept track of Brown’s career.

“I’m not surprised at the success he’s had and the career he’s going to have. I’m excited for him,” Whipple said. “He deserves what he gets. He works. The kids respect him. You can tell the way they’re playing. They’re making a lot of plays. It says a lot about his leadership.”

The series between UMass and Troy, which includes a 2018 game in Amherst, was set before Brown had been hired. Neither Whipple nor Brown liked the idea of facing a friend.

“I wouldn’t schedule it if he was the coach again,” Whipple said. “It’s why I won’t schedule with (UNH coach) Sean McDonnell. It wasn’t easy playing against Donny Brown (no relation to Neal) when he was at Northeastern or when he was at Maryland and I was at Miami.”

Whipple said he and Neal Brown, who caught 58 passes and four touchdowns for him, are often in touch during the offseason.

“It’s always good to see him. He’s a great kid,” said Whipple, who then corrected himself slightly. “A great guy.”

Brown said Saturday will be a rare time he isn’t rooting for UMass.

“It’s a game, that if I had my druthers, I’d probably rather not play. But it’s on our schedule,” Brown said. “That’s a place I care a great deal about. I want them to be successful. I owe a lot to Coach Whipple. He gave me an opportunity to come to UMass and for the first time in my life be away from home. I grew up a lot as a man there.

“Professionally he gave me an opportunity to get in as a G.A.,” he continued. “I learned a lot of football from Coach Whipple. A lot of the things we do in the run game and some of our down the field throws all come directly from him.”

Brown might not be at Troy when the Trojans face UMass in 2018. Sports Illustrated already included him on a list of coaches who could be targeted for bigger jobs.

Brown said he hasn’t given any thought to the speed of his rise through the ranks. He’s just glad to be coaching.

“I’m just trying to do the best I can with this opportunity,” he said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. You’re able to stay young. You’re competitive juices are lit because you’re competing every single day. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.”

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage

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