November 28, 2007

Briles hired as head coach at Baylor

University of Houston football coach Art Briles has been hired as the new head coach at Baylor, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Briles has scheduled a 12:30 team meeting, where he will inform the players of his decision. The Bears have scheduled a 5:30 p.m. press conference to introduce Briles as their new head coach.

"It looks like my tenure here at the University of Houston has come to an end," Briles said. "I'm thankful for the great players, coaches and fans that I've been associated with these past five years."

While Baylor does not report contract terms, the Chron reports that Briles was offered a seven-year deal worth approximately $1.8 million per year.

Briles interview in Dallas on Tuesday and left that meeting without a job offer, according to the Dallas Morning News. Baylor contacted Briles today to extend the offer.

As I said earlier in the week, Briles is absolutely a home-run hire for Baylor.

Briles has a great reputation within Texas and has proven to be a solid recruiter. A coach who came up through the Texas high school ranks, Briles rolled up four Texas state high school championships at Stephenville and has maintained his connections among the state's coaches.

While Baylor has not been competitive in the Big XII, there's no reason to think that Briles can't be successful on the bigger stage with his offensive system. And while Baylor may only be a stepping stone for Briles -- he's been rumored as a future replacement for Leach at his alma mater, Texas Tech -- the Bears can certainly reap the benefits now.

Posted by Kevin Donahue