Controversial Coach Says He Nearly Took Texas Longhorns Job

Back in 2013, the Texas Longhorns found themselves at a crossroad.

Before the Alamo Bowl that season, longtime head coach Mack Brown announced that he would resign after a legendary run, which included 158-48 record (98-33 in Big 12 play) over his 16 seasons in Austin and a national championship in 2005. They lost the bowl game 30-7 against Oregon, but all the focus was on the future. No matter who the Longhorns hired, that coach was going to have some massive shoes to fill.

The Longhorns ultimately hired then-Lousiville coach Charlie Strong as Brown's successor, and while it's uncertain if they made the best possible hire at the time, they definitely avoided making the worst possible hire.

Art Briles Almost Became Texas Longhorns' Head Coach?

Sep 12, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles prior to a game against the Lamar Cardinals at McLane Stadium. Baylor 66-31. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-Imagn Images | Ray Carlin-Imagn Images

In a video shared by Royden Ogletree of KWTX, former Baylor head coach Art Briles said going to Texas "might've come to fruition" for him had his team defeated UCF in the Fiesta Bowl that season. However, Baylor ended up losing that game, and Briles, who was heavily linked to the Texas job at the time, ended up staying in Waco.

Here is Art Briles talking about how close he got to taking the Texas job after that 2013 season. https://t.co/MeqZQfZuok pic.twitter.com/EpnlkaZ9oo
— Royden Ogletree (@roydenogletree) October 30, 2025

“Honestly, if we had won that game, it might have come to fruition,” Briles said. “But I just had all these guys that had come up with us and made the journey to where we were at. Honestly, at that time, I felt like I would have been betraying them and the university.

“Beacuse we had beaten them in ’10, ’11, and ’13. We had beaten them three out of the last four years… It could have gotten real real but I never let it get there. They wanted to come out to Arizona and meet with me after the game and all that stuff. I just said no. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t the right time.”

To say that the Longhorns dodged a bullet in this situation would be a massive understatement. Yes, Briles enjoyed success at Baylor, putting together a 65-37 (39-30 in Big 12 play) with four top-15 finishes in his final five seasons. He also won back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2013 and 2014 - though Baylor split the 2014 title with TCU, which ultimately kept them both out of the inaugural College Football Playoff.

However, none of that matters in the face of the widespread sexual assault scandal that took place at Baylor during his tenure. Two former players - defensive ends Tevin Elliott and Sam Ukwuachu - were convicted of sexual assault in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Defensive end Shawn Oakman also faced sexual assault charges, though he was found not guilty in 2019.

A report from law firm Pepper Hamilton found that the school "failed to take appropriate action to respond to reports of sexual assault and dating violence reportedly committed by football players. The choices made by football staff and athletics leadership, in some instances, posed a risk to campus safety and the integrity of the University."

Briles and university president Ken Starr were both fired in wake of the report, and athletic director Ian McGraw resigned in disgrace shortly after. The 69-year-old has not coached college football since his firing, though he has coached in the Italian Football League and at Mount Vernon High School in Texas.

Strong may have struggled at Texas, posting a 16-21 record (12-15 in Big 12 play) over three seasons, but if the Longhorns had hired Briles instead, it would've ultimately left a permanent black eye on the program.